A woman was carjacked at gunpoint in Seminole County, Florida on Thursday. In her last moments, she called her husband to tell him someone had been following her.
31-year-old Katherine Altagracia De Aguasvivas was stopped at a red light when an armed man forced his way into her car.
According to County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, the suspect, who was armed with an automatic handgun, was wearing a ski mask and black hoodie.
At a news conference, officials said he was driving a green Acura behind De Aguasvivas’s white Dodge Durango before he exited and threatened her at gunpoint. This was later confirmed by video footage captured by a nearby witness.
In the video clip, the suspect could be seen pointing his gun at De Aguasvivas before opening the door and sitting in the back seat.
When the traffic light turned green, she made a U-turn. Authorities suspect she may have tried to drive the vehicle in a direction that the gunman did not want them to go. However, they believe he later ordered her to turn around again and go through the same intersection.
She then started to drive toward a construction area, which police believe the gunman was familiar with.
One hour and 45 minutes after the carjacking was caught on video, police were called to the scene after people reported seeing a car on fire.
According to Lemma, the car was extensively damaged – to the point where you could not identify its make. Authorities also found a body inside the vehicle, which they believe to be De Aguasvivas. However, it is not yet confirmed as they need to check dental and DNA records.
Police also found twelve shell casings from a firearm at the scene.
It’s currently unclear when the man started to follow De Aguasvivas in his vehicle, but police said it was not random, but a targeted attack as he knew exactly who he was pursuing.
Before the incident, De Aguasvivas had told her husband on the phone that someone had hit the back of her car and was tailing her. Her husband allegedly told her not to stop the vehicle, however, neither of them alerted authorities by calling 911.
Lemma described it as a ‘tragic incident’ but expressed that there are a lot of unknowns in the case, from why she stopped at the red light to why they did not call 911.
The investigation team believes she left Miami-Dade County shortly after noon and arrived in Seminole County at approximately 3:30 p.m. At one point during her drive, she had also stopped at a gas station.
According to her husband, she had traveled to central Florida to visit family. However, he did not provide any names nor was the police aware that she had relatives in the county.
The sheriff said the couple had two businesses, a beauty salon and a barbershop and neither of them had a criminal history.
Detectives are currently asking anyone for details on the case to contact the police department.
