A terrifying moment for a mother and her daughter in Southern California after they were attacked in broad daylight by a homeless man who threatened to sexually assault them, according to police.
The homeless man was captured on video pursuing a mother and her young daughter after they had gotten off the bus and were crossing the street in Anaheim, before he viciously attacked them.
In the surveillance footage, the man can be seen crossing the street as the mother and daughter attempt to walk home.
At one point, the homeless man disappears behind a cement wall in his pursuit of the two women, picking up what looks like a white garbage bag as he continued behind them.
Eventually, they were able to get away thanks to a good samaritan who stopped in her car to help. They then called 911.
Anaheim Police said two hours later, they arrested Jose Gudino, 59, who he’s been charged for the attack.
The two women, who didn’t want to be identified, spoke to ABC7 about the horrible experience they went through and said Gudino tried to grab them off the sidewalk and then threatened to sexually assault them behind some nearby trees.
The daughter said her mother was shoved to the ground as they screamed for help.
“We were screaming for help,” the unidentified 14-year-old daughter said. “I felt like that was going to be my last day here and I was just so traumatized.”
“A bag of my pills fell. When I tried to pick it up, he hit me with a bag in his hand and I fell on the street,” the mother added.
The mother told ABC7 her daughter was very brave as the two fought back.
“She was very brave, she also protected me, the two of us united, thanks to the mercy of God,” the mother said.
The Orange County District Attorney’s office has filed several counts against Gudino, including multiple felony counts of kidnapping with intent to commit rape, per the DA’s office.
The two women, who are now recovering both physically and emotionally from the attack, told ABC7 they decided to tell their story as a warning to other women in the community.
“I just hope he doesn’t get out,” the daughter said.
Anaheim PD PIO Sgt. Matt Sutter spoke to The California Post and called it “a very isolated incident. “
“And when it did, we activated a lot of resources at it as soon as possible so we can arrest that person and remove them so that people can feel safe in the community,” Sutter said.
He said they are still waiting to hear from the good samaritan and would like to speak to them for a complete and thorough investigation and also to say thank you.
The police are also asking for the public to come forward if anyone knows anything, because there’s no residences or businesses in the area.
Sutter reiterated that “even though this is an isolated incident, people should always be vigilant and be aware of your surroundings.”
The California Post reached out to the Orange County DA for comment.