ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police arrested a teen who they say carjacked a 72-year-old woman in the Walmart parking lot on Monday evening.
Kevin Walker, 17, was charged with burglary of a conveyance, carjacking, battery, grand theft and driving without a license.
Police said they were called to the Walmart on Princeton Street after a woman said she was getting into her beige Audi Q7 when a man, later identified as Walker, opened her driver's side door and pulled her out of the vehicle.
"The victim held onto the steering wheel but unfortunately she wasn't strong enough and he still continued to pull her out of the car and continued to drive off," said Wanda Miglio with the Orlando Police Department.
The victim fell the to the ground, hitting her head, and Walker drove away with the woman's purse and $594 in cash inside of it, police said.
He was stopped by deputies in the area of Powers Drive and West Colonial Drive, where Walker got out of the vehicle and ran away before he was apprehended by authorities. The keys to the Audi were found in a nearby ditch.
"Thankfully we got someone that was obviously a bad guy who thought that he could take someone's car especially from an elderly female," Miglio said.
The victim had cuts on her wrist and arm, police said.
Walker was arrested and booked into the Juvenile Assessment Center.
"It's just crazy how this world has become," said shopper Maria Acevedo. "There are a lot of people that actually do work for their money and stuff like that and for someone to just try to take what you work for it's kind of hard and that's just how things are going now."
Police urge caution if ever in a similar situation.
"I mean she did not want someone to her car, no one wants their vehicle taken," Miglio said. "But please always be careful when something like this happens. Maybe try not to resist because you never know what will happen when you do."