Two women reported to police they were attacked in a kidnapping attempt on San Antonio’s West Side after a night out with friends over the weekend.
The women got a flat tire coming home early on Feb. 12.
“All I hear is a bloop bloop bloop, and I was like shh,” said Julie Garcia.
Garcia and Rosie Zamora told KSAT they pulled over on the side of Highway 90, and they tried calling friends and family for about 15 minutes. That’s when the suspect, who was parked on Harriman Place, walked across a grass median and asked if they needed help.
“He’s like, ‘I got a jack, don’t worry about it.’ Then it went sideways. He attempted to try and help us again, and when I attempted to try — he started hitting me in the head,” Garcia said.
The women said the next few moments were a blur, but Garcia remembers being hit with a tire iron and the suspect reaching for Zamora.
“The flashbacks of him just lunging towards her,” said Garcia. “What would have happened if I passed out?”
Garcia said she was able to shove the suspect through what she believes was pure adrenaline, and he ran away. She and Zamora then drove themselves to the hospital on a flat tire.
Garcia got seven staples and four stitches for two lacerations on her head and had a mild concussion.
Referring to Garcia, Zamora said, “I’m thankful for her because she saved my life. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
After the altercation, Garcia’s brother looked for doorbell video from nearby residents. One person had a short clip, but it only showed someone walking in and out of frame in the distance, followed by screams.
“Seeing that shadow just kills me. It hurts, like, it’s traumatizing,” Garcia said.
Days after and while still recovering physically and emotionally, Garcia and Zamora are going door-knocking and trying to help SAPD.
“If you were comfortable doing this, that means you’ve done it before, and we’re going to end it now,” said Garcia.
They say the man who approached them was about 5 feet 3 inches tall and mainly spoke Spanish. According to a police report, the suspect car is described as an older model gold Nissan.