A car salesman in Houston was kidnapped and thrown in the trunk of a dealership vehicle during a test drive with a person who presented himself as a customer, police reported Monday.
After throwing the salesman in the trunk of a red Dodge Challenger at gunpoint, the assailant sped further away from the Gillman Dodge dealership, but the salesman was able to reach the emergency trigger, and pop open the trunk while the vehicle was moving,
KHOU-TV reported.
After the salesman rolled out of the car somewhere in the area of the dealership, the assailant exited the vehicle and pointed a gun at him.
The salesman fought back, however, knocking the gun out of the assailant's hand.
The suspect then returned to the car, and sped off.
"He has props to fight back," said one worker at the dealership. "This area here in general is not a good one to be in, but no one would ever expect this at a dealership. It amazes me how he was able to fight back from this and guard himself."
Police officers were notified of the assault and theft, and pursued the stolen vehicle. They intercepted the car near a church, but the suspect got away on foot.
"One of my officers was on patrol," said Arthur Chatman, who does private security in the neighborhood around the dealership,
according to CBS News. "He was flagged down by the victim's friend who had apparently tracked him here to this location stating his friend was kidnapped."
The victim's friend said he tracked his friend via his cellphone during the incident.
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