Police in Tampa are looking for a man accused of kidnapping and sexually battering a DoorDash driver while the woman attempted to make a delivery at a Residence Inn hotel.
The terrifying attack happened around 11 p.m. earlier this week when the woman, a Hispanic female in her early 20s, tried to drop off food at the hotel located on W. Boy Scout Blvd.
“While walking up to the hotel to make the delivery, the victim was approached by a black male armed with a gun, who forced her back into her car,” a police news release said.
At the time, the woman had AirPods in and was on the phone with her girlfriend. Realizing that a robbery was occurring, the victim’s family called police and officers were sent to the hotel.
Authorities said the suspect forced the victim to drive about seven miles away to the Belara Lakes Apartments, where the assault occurred.
The victim’s family had been tracking her phone and arrived at the apartment complex. They were able to rescue her from the car, police said.
The suspect opened fire striking a family member of the victim’s girlfriend before fleeing the scene. The victim and the person shot were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the news release.
DoorDash said it was “appalled by this heinous and abhorrent crime” and are assisting Tampa police in the investigation.
“No one should ever have to endure something as horrific as this and we’re here to support the Dasher in any way we can,” a company spokesperson said.
Authorities released a composite image of the suspect based on information they received from the victim’s family.
Interim Police Chief Lee Bercaw said investigators are “actively gathering evidence in an effort to quickly identify and apprehend” the suspect.
“I am urging anyone who may have seen or heard something nearby to please call us with those details, no matter how minimal they may seem to be. It could be the information we need to arrest this criminal before he’s able to hurt another member of our community,” Bercaw said in a statement.
Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay urged anyone with information to contact them and said the tipster could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
