Auburn coffee stand kidnapping suspect held on $500,000 bail

Update: 1/19 7:32 a.m.:

Prosecutors believe the man who tried to pull an Auburn barista out of a coffee stand early Monday was planning to kidnap her for a sexual assault.

The suspect, Matthew Willam Darnell, was arrested by Auburn police on Tuesday and faced a judge Wednesday afternoon.

Casey McNerthney, the spokesperson for the King County Prosecutor, says he tried to put a looped zip-tie around her neck Monday morning when she handed him some change.

The barista escaped the man’s grasp, and he drove away.

Court documents say when the Auburn man was arrested at his home, a looped zip tie was found in his truck.

He has no police record in Washington and is being held on $500,000 bail while charges are decided.

Prosecutors argued Darnell should be charged with attempted kidnapping with sexual motivation.

Update: 1/17:

A suspect has been caught in the investigation of an attempted kidnapping of a barista.

UPDATE: After overwhelming support from the community, APD has arrested a suspect in this case. https://t.co/OG4z7a5m0T

— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023

Original 1/17:

Detectives are searching for a man who attempted to kidnap a barista early Monday morning in Auburn.

Auburn Police shared a dramatic surveillance video showing a white male attempting to reach through the coffee stand’s drive-through window with what appears to be a looped zip-tie in his hand and grabbing the barista’s arm as she was handing him his change.

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The Auburn Police Department is asking for any information to help identify a suspect that attempted to abduct a barista during the early morning hours of 1/16/2023. pic.twitter.com/w8qzJQs5ZA

— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023

The video shows the woman fighting off the man, who then drove off in his extended-cab pick-up truck.

Police shared a photo showing the man has a unique tattoo on his left forearm, spelling what looks like the word “Chevrolet” written in large script.

The suspect seen here attempted to drag the victim through the window using a looped ziptie device. The victim was able to fight off the attacker.

The suspect has a unique tattoo on his left forearm that appears to read “Chevrolet”. pic.twitter.com/1AnPHVl339

— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023

Police are looking for any information that could be helpful in identifying the man who tried to kidnap the barista. If you know anything about the suspect or his vehicle, please contact the Auburn Police Tip Line at 253-288-7403.