Woman Fights Off Kidnappers At North Texas Walmart
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ROCKWALL COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - A close call for a teenager in Royse City after she is carjacked and nearly kidnapped in a Walmart parking lot. The suspects are still on the loose.
The female victim, who is an employee of Walmart, told police that is was late Sunday night when a man and woman approached her as she walked to her car. The pair went up to the woman and asked for money to buy groceries. When she said she didn't have any cash they pulled out a gun and forced her to get into her own car -- a red-colored, 2008 Honda Accord.
The victim said she struggled with the suspects and was able to jump out of the car. Speaking exclusively to CBS 11 News Royse City Police Chief Jeff Stapleton said, "She continued to fight through, she didn't quit. She sounds to be like a very strong-minded young woman with a warrior's heart."
The woman said she ran to a person in the parking lot for help and the suspects split -- one fleeing in a gray-colored SUV and in her Honda.
Police released details of the attempted kidnapping on their Facebook page and after being shared nearly 2,000 times the post may have identified others who saw the suspects. One person commented, "This is the same couple I was telling you about that hit me up at Walmart last Thursday. Exact same Walmart. As soon as I read this today, it made me sick."
After the incident Charles Crowson, the senior manager of corporate communications with Walmart, released the following statement:
"There is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and associates any time they come to our store. We continually work to prevent crime in our stores and parking lots. This might include adding more security cameras or increasing parking lot lighting, and on certain occasions increasing third party security where appropriate, on a store-by-store basis."
Police say there was another robbery, involving a female victim, in Royse City on Sunday night. But the victim in that case did not want to talk to police.
The Royse City Police Department has sent an alert out to other law enforcement agencies to try and find out if the crimes in their city are part of a pattern.
There are surveillance cameras in the Walmart parking lot, but police say it isn't clear enough to identify the people caught on tape.
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