“Cut your throat”: Orlando woman describes attack and being stuffed into car trunk while shopping at Walmart

ORLANDO, Florida. — An Orlando woman says she is grateful to be alive after she was attacked by a man while unloading groceries at a Walmart on Goldenrod Road on Labor Day.

The victim, Veronica Jones, described the horrific moments when she felt someone grab her from behind.

“Then suddenly someone came up behind me and pulled me with their arms,” ​​Jones said. “At first I thought someone was playing a prank on me; I didn’t know what was going on. Then he said, ‘Give me your money.’ That’s when I knew, yes, this was not a joke.”

According to Orlando police, the suspect – 54-year-old Juan Perez – attempted to attack Jones in an attempt to steal her purse. He has also been charged with attempted kidnapping.

Jones described how Perez tried to force her into the trunk of her car.

“Yes, he was very energetic,” Jones said.

Surveillance video reportedly shows Perez walking up to Jones’ vehicle and attacking her.

Jones said Perez threatened her with a sharp object.

“He said, ‘I’m going to cut your throat if you don’t stop fighting and give me your money,'” she told News 6.

Jones began screaming for help. A passing shopper named Elliot noticed the commotion and intervened.

“I made sure no one was behind me so I could pull over and say, ‘Are you OK?’ It took her – I could see her gathering all her strength – to pull herself out of the trunk and yell, ‘Help!'” Elliot explained.

Elliot said Perez appeared close to trapping Jones in the trunk before he was chased away.

(EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (free) | PINIT! Share your photos)

“As I was coming by, I could just see that he was just about to reach her – her whole upper body was in the trunk. The only thing sticking out were her legs. If he had just crushed them and slammed them shut, it could have been done in five seconds or less,” Elliot said.

Investigators said Perez’s parole officer helped locate him. The officer identified Perez from surveillance video and confirmed that Perez’s GPS ankle bracelet located him at the Walmart at the time of the attack.

Perez is currently on probation after serving nearly two decades in prison for the kidnapping and assault of a 14-year-old Marion County girl. Investigators say he shoved the girl into a pickup truck before carrying out the attack.

Jones and Elliot were unable to meet in person, but reconciled over the phone.

“I’m so glad you’re here, we can hear your voice,” Elliot said. “You can still make an impact on the world and even a bad person couldn’t get you. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Perez is being held without bail in the Orange County Jail.

The headlines of the day in a few minutes with Your Florida daily newspaper: