A Washington man wielding a knife jumped through a drive-thru window and attempted to sexually assault a bikini barista.
The incident, caught on surveillance footage, occurred at around 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Hottie Shots Espresso in Kent, Washington, KIRO-7 reports, shortly after bikini barista Madeline Guinto had opened the shop for business.
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The short video, released by Kent Police, shows 33-year-old Michael Reynolds jumping through the window as Guinto turns to make the drink he had ordered. According to Guinto, he held a knife to her throat and demanded that she turn off the lights. When she refused, he is seen forcing her out of the window.
Guinto says that Reynolds then led her to a dark alley where he attempted to rape her.
“I’m doing everything I can to stall him,” Guinto told KVAL. “I’m dragging my feet. I’m giving him dead body weight so it’s not easy for him to just walk me over into my death. And I was just like, ‘oh my God why isn’t anyone pulling up.’”
Headlights from another customers pulling up to the coffee stand eventually scared him off, giving Guinto time to run back to her stand, where the customers helped her call 911.
“The video is shocking, to be quite honest,” said Det. Melanie Robinson. “To hear her reaction, it’s alarming. But somebody’s going to know who this guy is. He’s a coward if you asked me. Preying on vulnerable women such as this, he’s nothing more than a coward.”
On Wednesday, less than a day after police released the surveillance video of the attack, Kent Police arrested Michael Reynolds at the furniture warehouse where he worked. It has been reported that Reynolds has a lengthy criminal record.
Guinto was treated for minor injuries and says that she isn’t sure if she’ll return to work at the stand, where she says she was also robbed in October.
