ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 48-year-old man accused of “inflicting months of captivity and abuse” on a woman was arrested after a multi-county chase on Interstate 4 on Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officials said.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a Mobil gas station in Seffer on Monday after a called said an injured woman that needed help had escaped from a van.
Deputies said the victim, who had been panhandling in the area of Hillsborough Avenue and Habana Avenue since January 2024, met the suspect – identified as Walter Medina – during that time.
According to a news release, Medina provided the victim with food and drugs, but he eventually turned violent and subjected her to months of relentless physical abuse and captivity.
“Medina repeatedly assaulted the victim using a wooden baseball bat and a flathead screwdriver, inflicting severe injuries including, but not limited to, broken ribs, deep puncture wounds, and extensive bruising,” the release read in part.
Deputies said over a two-and-a-half moth period, the woman ”endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of Medina” as he forcibly transported her around the Tampa Bay area and threatened to kill her if she fled or sought help.
According to the release, the woman escaped when Medina briefly left her unattended at a Walgreens. When deputies arrived they noted the victim had numerous injuries to her face and body. She was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant for Medina.
Medina fled led law enforcement on the multi-county chase, but they did not specify the circumstances that led up to the chase.
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A separate news release from the Florida Highway Patrol noted that on Tuesday afternoon, troopers were notified of an active pursuit of an attempted murder suspect driving a gold Town & Country van traveling east on I-4 from Polk County, entering Osceola County.
Troopers then saw a gold van matching the description driving at a high rate of speed being pursued by another trooper, deputies with Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office and officers with the Lakeland Police Department
Troopers said the vehicle began to weave in and out of traffic, driving recklessly and endangering other motorists. The suspect, encountering heavy traffic, began driving on the left shoulder, driving more than 100 mph.
According to the FHP, they attempted a PIT maneuver twice on the vehicle, but they were unsuccessful.
Troopers said the van veered from the inside lane to the outside lane and as it it approached another vehicle, it struck the left side of it and continued to travel at a high rate of speed, approaching the exit of John Young Parkway.
Another PIT maneuver was attempted, but ultimately failed, according to the FHP.
The vehicle then exited onto John Young Parkway, drove through a red light at a high rate of speed before making a right turn and crashing into a raised a concrete median barrier.
Troopers said after the crash, the suspect did not comply with verbal orders and began reaching his right hand into the vehicle. A K-9 was deployed and the man, identified as Medina, was taken into custody.
According to the release, Medina had active warrants out of Hillsborough County related to the torture and abuse of the woman for aggravated battery with great bodily harm and deadly weapon, armed kidnapping harm or terrorizing, armed false imprisonment, attempted murder in the second degree with a weapon , tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence.
Following Tuesday’s pursuit, he faces additional charges of reckless driving damage to person or property, flee to elude law enforcement at high speed and hit-and-run leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property
Medina was taken to ORMC following the crash. When released from the hospital, he will be transported to the Orange County jail.
“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “I have to commend the bravery of the victim for escaping her captor and seeking help.”
Medina previously served time in prison for a previous false imprisonment case and has an arrest history including kidnapping, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and robbery, law enforcement officials said.
The investigation is ongoing, troopers said.
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