Local

‘Why me, what did I do?’: Woman dragged during robbery speaks out

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orlando mother is recovering after spending days in the hospital. She was dragged in the parking lot of a bakery after an attempted robbery.

It happened at Deerfield Place, off John Young Parkway. “No woman, no man, nobody should ever go through this,” said Theresa Genera, who spoke exclusively with Channel 9.

Genera was by herself at Fortuna Bakery in Hunters Creek when the incident unfolded.

It was Saturday, July 26th, just around 9 a.m. “I tried to open the coffee and my two donuts, and a person came, this guy came from nowhere and just robbed my bag. He started running, at which time I ran right after him,” the woman said amid tears.

After running after the car, Theresa says she got dragged multiple times through the parking lot.

“He reversed, I was pushed also because of the intention that I was trying to get into to get my stuff, and all of a sudden, all I knew was on the floor,” she said.

Theresa ended up in the hospital with a concussion and bruises all over her body.

Her family is now struggling to pay for all her medical bills. “You never think it’s going to be you or someone you love having to go through a situation like that right when that happened,” said Lexi Marie, Theresa’s daughter. “We are trying to be strong for her.”

In the end, the man took off, with her belongings, including her social security card.

Now the family fears the suspect could come back. “Does he know my address? Does he know me? Can you Google me? So that really makes me really nervous,” said Theresa. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The family said a man was arrested in connection with the case; Channel 9 has reached out to Orlando Police to confirm the suspect’s identity, but did not hear back.

Theresa’s daughters have set up a GoFundMe page to help their mother.

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