Florida store clerk sees woman mouth 'help,' calls police
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FOX 13) - A gas station employee in Jacksonville was quick to notice a woman’s silent plea for “help.”
On February 11 after 1 a.m., the clerk, who worked at a Kangaroo Express 13697 Beach Boulevard, noticed a woman sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot mouthing “help,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The employee called 911, detectives say, and gave police an “accurate vehicle description.” The information was passed along to nearby officers, and one noticed the vehicle on Atlantic Boulevard. Police attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect, later identified as Jose Ramos Sandoval, fled from them. The pursuit ended at Leon and Byrnes roads and Sandoval was arrested.
The victim told police she was walking from one beach pub to another when Sandoval pulled up in his vehicle next to her asking if she needed a ride somewhere, detectives say. She thought she recognized him as a known acquaintance to another friend of hers and thought it was safe to get a ride. Later, she realized they were strangers.
Investigators say when she was inside the car, they started traveling away from her destination and pulled into the Kangaroo Express gas station. She attempted to exit the car, but Sandoval grabbed her hair to keep her inside the vehicle.
That’s when she mouthed the word “help” to the employee, and it worked.
Sandoval was charged with false imprisonment, fleeing police and violation of probation.
Law enforcement officials shared the incident on the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page and wrote, “A big thank you to the alert employee at this gas station. Getting involved makes a difference, we can't thank you enough.”