The terrifying moment a barista narrowly escaped a suspected kidnapping attempt from a driver was captured on CCTV.
In the early hours of Monday, 16 January in Auburn, Washington, a customer drove up to a drive-thru coffee stand and appeared to try and kidnap the woman working behind the counter.
Footage of the incident shows the moment the male driver grabs the wrist of the female barista as she attempts to hand him his change.
Grabbing her wrist, he attempts to pull her towards him and tries to ensnare her with what police said was a 'looped zip tie device'.
Advert
Unsuccessful in his attempt as the barista was able to pull free of his grasp and avoid becoming snared by the zip tie, the driver then pulled away from the coffee stand as his change tumbled to the ground.
CCTV footage of the disturbing incident was then shared online by Auburn Police Department as part of their appeal to find the driver and seemingly attempted kidnapper.
The footage went viral as millions of people saw the chilling moment the driver tried to drag the woman out of her booth and tie her arm.
Advert
Auburn Police were asking for any information which could help with their investigation and directed the public's attention towards a distinctive tattoo on the man's arm, which appeared to say 'Chevrolet'.
Fortunately, this approach seems to have worked as they later announced they had made an arrest and paid tribute to the 'overwhelming support from the community' which helped them in their investigations.
Police said that they were able to locate a suspect at his home 'thanks to a number of tips', and in a statement, said they were able to link the man to the crime after searching his truck.
A name has not yet been released, with Auburn Police Department holding off on that until a suspect has been formally charged in the case.
Advert
People who watched the footage were horrified at what they were witnessing.
One person described the whole thing as 'very scary' while another sympathised with the barista and said that she would be 'seeing that face for a long time'.
Someone else who said they worked a similar job said it was 'absolutely terrifying' to watch her be attacked.
Advert
Others slammed the would-be kidnapper for trying something so stupid and thinking he would be able to drag his intended victim out of her booth and into his car, saying it was 'actually very dumb'.
Joe Harker