One girl’s vacation — after which some — was turned the wrong way up this week when a scammer posing as a vacation toy drive donor attacked and kidnapped her.
Erin Quinn, a volunteer for the native vacation toy drive in her southern California group, didn’t suppose a lot of it when she obtained a textual content message from an unknown quantity claiming to be from an previous girl who needed to donate presents, KTLA reported.
Quinn accepted, and the swindler – who referred to as herself Connie in messages – gave her an deal with to select up the donations.
On Wednesday, when Quinn arrived on the house and commenced to stroll as much as the home, she obtained one other message saying that somebody would convey the toys out to her automotive.
However when Quinn received again to her car, somebody was already inside ready for her – and that’s when issues spiraled uncontrolled.
A lady sitting in her backseat yanked Quinn’s hair and shocked her with a Taser, then ordered her to start out driving.
About 25 minutes in, Quinn – who had been hit with the Taser round 30 instances as much as that time – crashed the car.
The 2 ladies received out of the automotive and commenced to tussle. In combating off her assailant, Quinn bit a part of her finger off, in response to KTLA.
“I kicked her as onerous as I might,” Quinn instructed the outlet.
“She tried to place her fingers in my mouth, possibly in an try to tear my mouth open, and in an entire panic, I bit a part of a portion of her finger off in self-defense as a result of I didn’t know what else to do.”
Quinn mentioned it was at that second that she acknowledged her attacker – her ex-housekeeper, Olga Mendez, disguised in a blonde wig.
Quinn was solely in a position to get away when a bystander – who she referred to as her “hero” – rushed over to assist, though “a number of building staff across the space [had] witnessed what was occurring, videotaped, and did nothing,” she lamented.
Quinn suffered bruises on her legs, taser burns on her head, clumps of her hair ripped out and damaged nails.
Native authorities have but to arrest any suspects – however Quinn is satisfied that it was her previous housekeeper, who could have been plotting to take her throughout the border.
“I strongly consider that her plan was to kidnap me and take me to Mexico for both ransom or sale,” Quinn defined.
“I’m fully terrified. I don’t know why she would do that.”
“All I used to be making an attempt to do was assist with the Christmas toy drive and thought I’d be capable to cease by actually fast to select up these presents earlier than I began my workday,” Quinn mentioned, including that her “whole world has been turned the wrong way up” following the terrifying ordeal.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Quinn arrange by her shut buddy has raised $1,890 of its $8,000 objective up to now.
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