‘I really thought he was going to kill me’: Man accused of attacking woman in Seminole County

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County deputies arrested and charged a 43-year-old man for attacking and robbing a woman in a parking lot.

Deputies said the woman was attacked and robbed in the Grove Plaza near Winter Park on Tuesday.

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Eyewitness News spoke to the victim, Keri Rodriguez, who said the man, identified by deputies as Anthony Debellis, pulled her car door open and yanked at her purse, which was across her body at the time.

“I’ve never ever felt unsafe in that area ever. Now I do because of this one man,” said Keri Rodriguez.

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Rodriguez said she was working Uber Eats to make extra money to help her son with a car down payment at the time and was sitting while she waited for an order when she was attacked.

She said the man punched her and and choked her with the strap of her purse.

“I really thought he was going to kill me. I thought I was about to blackout, and I’m like no. You got to keep fighting, you got to keep fighting,” said Rodriguez.

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In a matter of minutes, the man who deputies say is homeless, got away with her belongings. Rodriguez said she’s advising women to keep a lookout for people who try to rob.

“Keep your head on a swivel. If you see someone that you are weary of. Either go back into the store or get back into your car, roll the windows up, and lock that door,” said Rodriguez.

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Debellis is being held in Seminole County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

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