Bodycam Shows Dramatic Moment Woman is Pulled From Kidnapper's Caged Van

News By TooFab Staff |
Brookside PD

The van had a cage in the back, while the doors were chained shut from the inside.

An Alabama woman was saved from a likely horrible fate on Sunday — and her dramatic rescue was all captured on bodycam footage.

Brookside Police Department released the shocking video showing the victim being dragged from a caged van, right before suspect Sean E. Sanders was pulled out after her.

Police surrounded the vehicle and attempted to negotiate with the captor, who held the woman at knifepoint for more than half an hour, before they made the decision to storm the van — managing to remove both occupants alive.

The incident unfolded on Sunday when a churchgoer said he spotted the man trying to drag the woman into the woods; when he forced her into the white van. The witness followed it and called the police.

Officers found the van in a church parking lot, where they said they saw Sanders forcing the bleeding victim to the floor. They tried to enter the vehicle, but Sanders rammed them and attempted to run over an officer, they said.

After a pursuit they shot into the vehicle and managed to disable it and barricade it, which is when Sanders crawled into the back with the victim.

The van had a cage in the back, wire cages over the windows, with blankets covering the windows to prevent anyone seeing inside. The doors were chained shut from the inside.

As the bodycam footage shows, officers surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn, as the terrified victim can be heard screaming for help.

After smashing the windows with hammers, officers pulled a pair of dogs from the cab. Sanders can be heard shouting at officers "Just shoot me! Just shoot me! Kill me! Kill me!"

That's when officers made their move; they stormed the vehicle, dragging the victim through the smashed rear window, before tasing Sanders inside, and then dragging him out afterwards.

During the kidnapping, the woman suffered more than 30 blows to the head with a tire iron; she is expected to survive her injuries.

Sanders, a 51-year-old homeless man from LA who was living in the van, was arrested on charges of kidnapping and attempted murder, CBS reported.

Police said he has a history of being arrested for assault and kidnapping. His bond is set at $191,000.

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