Ruskin Woman's Act Of Kindness Leads To Her Being Carjacked

RUSKIN, FL -- A Ruskin woman's act of kindness resulted in her being assaulted and carjacked on Tuesday.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, just before 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 12, a woman was approached by a man in the parking lot of Dollar General, 2015 E. College Ave., Ruskin, who asked if she could spare 50 cents.

When the woman reached in her purse to find the change, the man attacked her. Deputies say he pushed her and, as she stumbled backward, he grabbed the keys to her Ford Escape from her hand and fled in the SUV west on College Avenue.

He didn't get far, however. Deputies said he crashed the SUV into a ditch near East College Avenue and 18th Street Southeast, about a mile and a half away from the crime scene.

Witnesses saw him run into a duplex at 1708 E. College Ave. Deputies say he attempted to hide in the attic of the duplex but fell through the floor.

The man was later identified as Raul Perez, 31. When deputies arrived, they say Perez had just showered and was undressed. After the victim identified him as her attacker, deputies searched the home and found the clothes Perez wore during the carjacking concealed behind the kitchen stove.

Perez is being held in the Falkenburg Road Jail where he is charged with one count of carjacking.

Image via Hillsborough Sheriff

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