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Coolidge woman hospitalized after she was attacked by escaped inmates

The two inmates who escaped from the Florence prison were caught, just minutes after they allegedly attacked a woman for money and keys to a truck.

COOLIDGE, Ariz. — It was a crisp Thursday morning around 9 a.m. when Luis Alvarez was working in the field adjacent to his quiet, remote Coolidge home.

Then he heard his wife's screams. 

When he looked toward his home, Alvarez saw his wife, who looked unconscious, being dragged by a complete stranger.

“I thought they killed her inside," said Alvarez. “She screamed at me. They grabbed her and started dragging her all the way in."

Alvarez would later learn that while he was working, his unassuming wife was inside their home. 

At the same time, two men -- escaped inmates David Harmon and John Charpiot -- approached the Alvarez home through a nearby field. 

When they got to the front door, they set their sights on a large dog door. One man was too large to fit inside, so the smaller of the two crawled in. 

Credit: 12 News

That man confronted Alvarez's wife, allegedly beating her while demanding she gives him money and the keys to their truck.

She was able to break free and ran outside for her life. The second man, waiting outside, chased after her, grabbing her and dragging her back toward the home.

That's when Alvarez heard the chaos.

“The surprise that I encountered was the two inmates inside beating up my wife," Alvarez said.

Thinking his wife may already be dead, he ran as fast as he could, unsure of what he would do when he got to them.

As his feet were racing, his mind was too. He noticed their orange pants and it hit him: These were the two inmates he had seen on the news. The inmates that had escaped from the Florence prison five days earlier, Harmon and Charpiot, a convicted child molester and serial rapist.

Credit: 12 News

Harmon and Charpiot were described by law enforcement as incredibly dangerous. Police warned of a situation like this, concerned the criminals would desperately resort to holding a citizen hostage to keep their great escape alive.

But Alvarez wasn't part of their plan.

Despite one of the men grabbing a nearby shovel and swinging for Alvarez's head, he ducked and managed to fight back. 

Credit: 12 News

"They were very crazy, Very crazy," Alvarez said.

Alvarez said the men appeared physically exhausted. As a passerby drove by his remote home, Alvarez yelled for help.

The inmates took off but the stranger had already called 911. Coolidge Police officers and U.S. Marshal deputies chased down Harmon and Charpiot in a nearby cotton field and took them into custody.

Credit: 12 News

“I’m very thankful that they were caught so that they can’t harm anyone anymore," Alvarez said.

Alvarez's wife was rushed to the emergency room with significant injuries. She is now back home recovering but is traumatized. Alvarez said he is getting her counseling.

Despite the trauma, Alvarez is thankful they are alive.

“I’m very thankful to God that they didn’t kill my family and that I was able to save them," Luis said.

The Department of Public Safety tells 12 News it is investigating the incident.

Alvarez believes the inmates had been staying in a small, abandoned home just a few hundred yards up the road from his house.

Credit: 12 News

The inmates are in Pinal County custody, awaiting new charges.

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