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On Monday, January 16, surveillance footage in an Auburn, Washington, drive-thru captured footage of a man attempting to kidnap a barista.
In the video, which has since gone viral on Twitter, the suspect can be seen attempting to grab the barista while she gives him his order. The suspect, a large man with tattooed arms, driving a pickup truck, can also be seen briefly struggling with the barista before driving off in his vehicle.
As per Auburn authorities, the suspect was holding a ziptie, presumably to bind the woman's hands. He appeared to drop cash while making his escape.
The New York Post reported that the man has been arrested for the alleged kidnapping attempt. The Auburn Police Department has neither disclosed his name, nor the potential charges he could face.
The suspect in the attempted barista kidnapping was arrested at home
On Monday, just hours after the attempted kidnapping, Auburn authorities released footage of the incident on Twitter, requesting anyone with leads about the suspect's identity to step forward.
In an official statement, Auburn Police Department public information officer Kolby Crossley told USA today that the suspect had been arrested after authorities found evidence that linked him to the kidnapping. Crossley said:
"The suspect was arrested at his home in Auburn, and we were able to do a quick search of his pickup and found evidence tying him to the scene."
Several netizens are perplexed by the audacious nature of the attempted abduction. Many have questioned the suspect's intentions, wondering how he expected to drag an adult through the drive-thru window and into his car.
According to KOMO News, the barista, who has worked at the shop for 15 years, was not injured in the incident. Authorities have not yet disclosed any possible motives for the attempted kidnapping.
Kidnappings are not uncommon in Washington
While the incident was considered shocking by many netizens, the state of Washington is no stranger to kidnappings.
In August 2022, two men were arrested in separate high-profile kidnappings in Seattle. While one man was accused of attempting to drag a 10-year-old girl into his vehicle in View Ridge, the other allegedly tried to grab a child off the street in Downtown Seattle.
Washington resident Emmett Oliver told Fox reporters:
“Everybody is just really on high alert and those with kids are vigilant now."
In November, authorities in Mount Vernon, Washington, reported that a 5-year-old believed to have been kidnapped in the state was recovered in Vietnam, where he was living with the person believed to have abducted him.
However, while many of the victims in these kidnapping cases are children, the Auburn kidnapping attempt is unusual in that an adult was targeted.
