MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Memphis man faces a slew of charges after police say he stole a car at gunpoint and used that vehicle to try and kidnap a woman during her morning walk.
Police said the woman was walking on Alexander Street just north of Central Avenue when a man got out of a gray Nissan, pointed a gun at her, demanded money and tried to pull her inside the vehicle.
A neighbor on Alexander who didn’t want to be identified said he heard her cries for help and was able to scare off the attacker.
“I started yelling at him, and I guess it was enough to make him let her go, and she came to me and was obviously very distraught,” said the man.
Police said Charles Williams, 21, was on a crime spree when he tried to grab the woman off the street.
They said two days earlier, he took the Nissan he was driving at gunpoint from a man at an apartment complex off Southern Avenue.
Police said they found the vehicle and Williams about a half-mile away from where the woman was attacked. They said he wrecked it trying to get away.
People in the victim’s neighborhood were relieved to hear Williams was caught.
“It was very concerning,” said Jennifer Hughes. “I work from home, and it just never occurred to me that something that could happen at 10 o’clock in the morning.”
The man who came to the victim’s rescue said he was glad he was at the right place at the right time.
“I was scheduled to go to the office that day and decided to work from home. So, I do feel fortunate I was able to do something,” he said. “It wasn’t much but enough to make him let her go.”
Police said Williams took the woman’s cell phone. The other victim said Williams also took his phone and debit card and forced him to give him the PIN.
Williams was charged with several counts of aggravated robbery. He also faces charges of kidnapping, reckless driving, and evading arrest.
He is being held on a $450,000 bond.
