Bystander hears screams and stops violent kidnapping at smoke shop, FL cops say

Harrowing surveillance video shows a woman screamed and struggled as a man violently dragged her by the neck from a Florida smoke shop.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 29, during a store robbery in St. Augustine, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

See the video here. Warning: The video contains material some may find difficult to watch.

“A 911 caller advised a male subject was attempting to force a female inside a vehicle outside in the parking lot,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies learned the male suspect committed a robbery inside the business, then forcefully removed a female employee from the store, and dragged her outside where he began to push her into his vehicle. The victim fought her attacker and attracted the attention of a nearby citizen who came to her aid.”

The confrontation prompted the man to release the woman and he drove away, officials said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers are credited with capturing the man, and it was by chance, the sheriff’s office said.

He was pursued and pulled over about 10 miles south of the store as part of a reckless driving investigation, officials said. It was then discovered he was the suspect in a kidnapping and robbery.

Theodore Michael Tundidor, 31, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, robbery, grand theft auto, eluding law enforcement and driving under the influence, officials said. The vehicle had been stolen in Jacksonville, about a 40-mile drive to the northwest, officials said.

Tundidor is accused of stealing items while in the shop, but a robbery charge was filed because “Florida statute says putting fear in the victim or using force when taking something constitutes robbery,” the sheriff’s office said.

Details of why he dragged the woman from the store were not released.

Investigators say the woman “did everything right” to thwart the kidnapping, including fighting and screaming to attract attention.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Bystander hears screams and stops violent kidnapping at smoke shop, FL cops say."