WINCHESTER, Calif. (KABC) — A Temecula lady narrowly escaped a terrifying ordeal when a toy donation changed into a violent kidnapping try.
“I figured I used to be completed for. I used to be both going to die or I used to be going to be trafficked or kidnapped or one thing,” mentioned Erin Quinn.
It turned out to be a kidnapping.
Quinn thought she was assembly a donor for her toy drive on Dec. 18 in Winchester. She had arrived at a house on Reminiscence Lane after texting with a girl who claimed to be aged and unable to drive.
“I am going as much as the door, depart my automobile unlocked, and I’m ready on the door attempting to get this woman to reply, however no one is answering,” Quinn mentioned.
Moments later, the lady texted Quinn to attend in her automobile, saying her caregiver would ship the toys. That is when issues took a horrifying flip.
“So I am going to my automobile, about to get in, go to take a seat down, and somebody grabs my hair and begins tasing me on the aspect of the top,” she mentioned. “Throughout that point, my mind was jolting like loopy, and I actually thought I used to be going to die or cross out. As soon as she took the taser off my head, she made me drive.”
Quinn mentioned that as she drove, she tried to get the eye of close by development staff and a canine walker.
“They’re watching her tase me, kicking, screaming, like blazing my horn, and so they did not do something,” she mentioned.
Her attacker threatened her household if she did not cooperate.
“At that time, I wasn’t preventing for me anymore. I used to be preventing for my boys and my mother. I needed to cease her,” she mentioned.
The assault continued till Quinn crashed into two automobiles. Within the chaos, she fought again and uncovered her attacker’s identification.
“She was carrying this vivid blonde wig, and I pulled the wig off and instantly realized, oh my gosh, that’s Olga Mendez,” Quinn mentioned.
Mendez, Quinn’s former housekeeper, hadn’t been in her life for 4 years. After a bystander intervened, Mendez fled, leaving Quinn battered, bruised, and confused.
As to why she was attacked?
“I’m going to spend the remainder of my life attempting to determine why. None of it makes any sense,” she mentioned.
Quinn mentioned she and Mendez had parted methods on good phrases.
Riverside County deputies arrested Mendez 10 days later. The 44-year-old is going through a number of fees, together with kidnapping and assault with a lethal weapon.
“I hope she will get no less than 25 to life after every thing she has completed. I’m not the one particular person she has damage,” Quinn mentioned, referring to Mendez’s prolonged prison document.
Quinn continues to be processing the assault, however with out medical insurance, she’s now going through mounting medical payments. A good friend has arrange a GoFundMe web page to assist her get better and rebuild her sense of security.
Quinn provided a warning for others:
“You have to lock your automobile on a regular basis and be vigilant,” she mentioned.
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