Quick-thinking gas station attendant saves a bound woman from her kidnapper while on shift
A gas station employee had an unforgettable shift after ending a nightmare while behind the register.
It wouldâve been a normal shift for Rachel Craddock if not for a car that stopped by their gas station, a Citgo branch in Inverness, Florida. A man was shopping inside their convenience when a woman crawled out of his car and tried to run away.
Before the man could get to the register, though, his attention quickly shifted to the woman shambling out from his car.
Fortunately, Craddock quickly noticed. The woman was wounded and bruised. It was apparent that she was hurt and terrified. Craddock watched as the woman ran towards the âstaff onlyâ door that led directly behind the register.
“He seen the girl that he had bound in the car escaping from the car and he started running out the door. While he was running out the door she was running to my private door that was locked,” Rachel Craddock recalled to FOX 13. “She was banging on it, saying, ‘Help me! Help me! Help me! Heâs gonna kill me! Heâs right there, heâs right there!’â
Craddock didnât hesitate.
The quick-thinking employee unlocked the door to let the woman in, then locked it the moment she got in. While the man was still outside and the woman now safe, Craddock locked all the store doors and dialed 911.
The scene was horrifying. Craddock knew the woman went through a lot and her desperate attempt to escape finally pulled through.
“Extension cords around her arms and she had matted hair with blood, and all I could think was get her safe into the store with me,” Craddock said to the news outlet.
Deputies responded to the call but the suspect already drove off when he realized he couldnât get to his victim.
According to the authorities, 32-year-old Cody Jackson got into a fight with the victim at a home in King Charles Circle. It was not clear if it was their residence.
#SHARE: #teamHCSO is searching for Cody Jackson (32) after he physically battered & kidnapped a victim on Sunday, April 9 in Seffner. The victim escaped at a Citrus County Citgo in Inverness. Jackson fled. If you know where he is, call us at 813-247-8200. pic.twitter.com/11fziKqNyO
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) May 10, 2021
Then, investigators said that Jackson grabbed a piece of wood and hit the victim on the head. He then forced her inside a 2003 silver Mitsubishi Eclipse before driving away. They added that Jackson made a stop at one point so he could tie the victimâs ankles and wrists with extension cords.
Jackson then drove to Citrus County and stopped at a Citgo gas station in Inverness.
The branch where Craddock was working. It was also the place where the victimâs nightmare finally ended.
Jackson left his vehicle near the intersection of US 41 and Sunset Lane in Tampa when he fled the scene. He was then arrested by law enforcement officers from the Plant City Police Department.
The victim, meanwhile, was taken to the hospital to recover.
âThis manâs actions are reprehensible. He was threatening this victimâs life and it could have ended in tragedy had the victim not managed to escape just in time,â said Sheriff Chronister in a statement.
It was an unforgettable shift for both Craddock and the victim. For the victim, it was a moment where she felt safe through a strangerâs kindness. And for Craddock, it was a time where she didnât hesitate to do the right thing.
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Source: YouTube – FOX 13 Tampa Bay, FOX 13, WFLA, Twitter – @HCSOSheriff