Erin Quinn, a volunteer for a holiday toy drive in southern California, resisted a horrifying attack after being lured to a fake donation pickup. The incident, which she believes was an attempted kidnapping, left her bruised and shaken.
Quinn was contacted by someone claiming to be an elderly woman wanting to donate toys. When she arrived at the provided address, she returned to her car to find a woman waiting inside. The attacker, disguised in a blonde wig, used a Taser to shock Quinn repeatedly, forcing her to drive for 25 minutes.
The ordeal ended when Quinn crashed her car, leading to a violent confrontation with her attacker. In a desperate act of self-defense, Quinn bit off part of the woman’s finger after she attempted to rip Quinn’s mouth open.
“I kicked her as hard as I could,” Quinn recalled. “I bit part of her finger off because I didn’t know what else to do.”
Quinn recognized the assailant as her former housekeeper, Olga Mendez, and suspects she planned to kidnap her and take her to Mexico.
A bystander ultimately intervened, allowing Quinn to escape. However, she expressed frustration that several construction workers nearby filmed the incident but did nothing to help.
Authorities have yet to make an arrest, but Quinn is urging law enforcement to act quickly, fearing the attacker may still pose a threat.
