Woman screamed as driver kidnapped her near popular Charlotte breweries, police say
Police are searching for the driver of a silver Alfa Romeo Giulia who pulled beside a woman near popular South End breweries on Monday, dragged her inside and fled onto southbound Interstate 77 as she screamed and cried for help.
“We have a significant concern for the safety of the victim,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Capt. Joel McNelly said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “If a random person was targeted in this type of crime, it makes the concern even greater.”
A group of six or eight teenagers walking in the area saw the kidnapping unfold about 6:30 p.m. on Griffith Street, across from the Southside Homes apartments, according to the captain.
The woman, whom police described as a young adult Hispanic woman, fought back as the driver tried to pull her into the car near a rental scooter, McNelly said.
“He dragged the victim into the vehicle with him,” McNelly said. “There was a scuffle there where he pulled her in. She fought against him.”
“He pulled down the road a little bit into a parking lot, where they continued to scuffle,” the captain said. “The witnesses heard the sound of the horn honking and heard screams, cries for help from the female there in the parking lot before the (driver) was able to pull her fully into the car and leave the area.”
The driver turned onto southbound South Tryon Street, right on westbound Remount Road and then onto I-77 South, McNelly said.
The silver Alfa Romeo is a 2016 or newer model, with a dark front license plate or license plate bracket between the grill and headlights and dark-tinted windows “all the way around,” according to McNelly.
Police urged anyone who saw the car or knows of its whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Callers can remain anonymous, McNelly said.
”We really need the community’s help in solving this,” McNelly told reporters, adding that police canvassed the area for video and businesses that were open at the time.
Police also contacted the state Division of Motor Vehicles for possible owners of that make and model of car, he said.
“Obviously, this kind of crime is very concerning, and we don’t know whether or not these two were known to each or not ... And that’s why we elevated it to this kind of concern.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 4:55 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong day of the reported kidnapping. It happened Monday, May 30, 2022.