OCSO: Man carjacks elderly woman in Home Depot parking lot

ORLANDO  A 43-year-old man was arrested and now faces carjacking charges after police say he carjacked an elderly woman in Orlando.

According to Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Todd B. Erskine attempted to carjack an 82-year-old woman around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3. 

Deputies say that Erskine, who was armed, opened the woman’s passenger door in the parking lot of the Home Depot at 7022 W. Colonial Drive — near Ocoee and MetroWest — pointed a gun at her and said he needed her car. The woman refused, created a disturbance and dropped the keys on the ground, after which Erskine fled.

OCSO then received a call about 30 minutes later from a 74-year-old woman who had been carjacked. Police say the woman told them she was in a different part of the Home Depot parking lot around 3:20 p.m., unaware of the previous carjacking attempt, when Erskine approached her and asked for a ride. The woman agreed, but as she approached the intersection of Elm Drive and Pinedale Avenue, deputies said, Erskine suddenly hit her in the face with his gun and made her get out of her 2006 Sienna mini van before taking off with it.

An OCSO deputy realized he was behind the carjacked vehicle after hearing of it over dispatch and engaged in an authorized pursuit. The deputy followed the vehicle from Hiawassee Road eastbound onto State Road 408 for about five minutes, according to OCSO, when another deputy performed a Pursuit Intervention Technique maneuver to disable the vehicle. Police then took Erskine into custody.

The 74-year-old woman was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Erskine has been charged with attempted carjacking with a firearm, carjacking with a firearm, armed kidnapping, aggravated abuse on an elderly/disabled adult, and aggravated battery with a firearm. He was booked into the Orange County Jail. No further details have been released.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].