ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The man believed to be the Wal-Mart rapist was questioned by sheriff's deputies Wednesday night and taken to the Orange County jail. He faces sexual battery, assault, kidnapping and armed robbery charges.

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David Welker made his first court appearance Thursday morning. A Crimeline tip led Orange County deputies to him Wednesday afternoon.

Overnight, deputies searched Welker's home and found the gun and SUV they say he used in the crime. Welker spent the night in jail and was scheduled for a first appearance before a judge at 8:30am Thursday. The judge said Welker should be held with no bond in the Orange County jail because he poses a threat to public safety.

Arrested In South Orange County

Welker, 24, was picked up at Piedmont and Goldwynn in south Orange County. Witnesses said Welker was with a friend who had gone into a music store. Welker was left alone in a waiting car and that's when deputies grabbed him.

"It seemed like they already knew where he was at, because when he pulled up there was already one parked there. It was an undercover car," said Gerald Pettit, who saw the arrest.

The head of the Orange County Sex Crimes Unit said he is "confident we got our man" and sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said, "He has a billboard on his arm," referring to tattoos the victim said her attacker had from his wrist to his elbow.

Welker had a cut on his face when he was taken into the sheriff's office building about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. Sources said he mumbled something about the crime victim "lying," but exactly what was said was unclear.

Suspect Has Long Arrest History

Welker has at least 26 previous arrests dating back to 1998. The charges range from grand theft of a vehicle to displaying a weapon during a felony to burglary and battery. A spokesman at the Orange County jail said Welker was released from a work-release program on March 25.

A neighbor of Welker's indicated people in the neighborhood were suspicious of him.

"We all together [were] trying to look for him," said Angelo Lewis.

But an ex-girlfriend of Welker's stood by him. She did not want to be identified.

"I still care for him and love him," she said.

Detectives searched Welker's house on Wilton Avenue late Wednesday night looking for evidence. Their search wrapped up around 9:45pm and, investigators said, they found the gun used during the alleged rape, as well as the SUV he drove to and from the Wal-Mart.

Deputies said they are very sure that the suspect they've got locked up is the guy who committed this crime.

Surveillance Video Released

Video released late Wednesday afternoon shows the rapist stalking victims and then moving in to attack a woman in a Wal-Mart parking lot. For more than a half-hour, a slim, light-haired man was seen moving around the parking lot where he would soon a force a woman into her car at gunpoint and rape her with her 15-month-old daughter in the back seat, all right behind the Wal-Mart at John Young Parkway and Sand Lake.

"When he approached the victim, it looked like he knew exactly what he was about to do. And he knew exactly how he was about to do it. So he definitely had a plan in mind," said Det. Phil Graves, Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The video provides a good image of the victim's vehicle as it moved to the back of the store. Then, minutes later, a dark image of the suspect can be seen running away after the rape.

Within an hour of the video captured, a nearby Bank of America ATM captured close-ups of the suspect's face as he tried to empty the rape victim's bank account.

"He made a clear threat to her that she needs to give that PIN number over. She was in fear for her life and in fear for her baby's life and did what she needed to do in that manner," Graves said. "It's obviously very hard on her. It's a very traumatic incident, but she's doing great."