In a terrifying incident highlighting the importance of home security systems, chilling footage from a Ring camera captured a woman being chased and dragged away by an assailant, gripping her hair.
In the video, shared by Inside Edition, a woman appears out of the darkness running up to her neighbor's door in Arcadia, California. As soon as she starts banging on the door to get her neighbor's attention, a man suddenly runs up behind her.
Without hesitation, the man grabs the woman by her hair and starts dragging her off the porch. As he drags her to the front yard, you hear her screaming for help repeatedly. You then hear the man give her the chilling warning, “Shut up or I’ll kill you.”
Inside Edition interviewed a neighbor, who said, “We looked out the side window over here and witnessed him stomping on her and pulling her by her hair. It was … it was awful.”
The neighbors who had the video footage of the assault sent it over to police. Once officers had possession of the footage, they searched the neighborhood. During their search, they found a woman being held hostage in one of the houses.
The police arrested and identified the man as Robert Mendez. He was not just a random assailant. Police found out the woman he dragged off the front porch was his estranged girlfriend. Mendez was charged with suspicion of attempted murder and kidnapping.
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Inside Edition interviewed a policeman as well, who said, “He was beating on her and looks like he even stomped on her, dragging her, she had suffered multiple injuries, enough to require hospital attention.” The police also confirmed that the woman is expected to make a full recovery.
By harnessing the power of surveillance technology and raising public awareness, we can encourage personal safety, enhance community vigilance, and support victims of traumatic incidents like this one. I will definitely be purchasing a Ring camera as soon as possible.
To view the whole story, click the video!
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women's shelter (domesticshelters.org).