Suspect chased woman into a Charlotte karate school, ended up on a stretcher
A suspect in an attempted kidnapping ended up on a stretcher after he chased a woman into a Charlotte karate school and tussled with an instructor, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The 46-year-old suspect, August Channing Williams, was in the Mecklenburg County jail Friday on charges of assault on a female, attempted first-degree kidnapping, simple assault, resisting a public officer, injury to personal property and possession of drug paraphernalia, Mecklenburg County jail records show. He was jailed on $38,500 bail, according to records.
Williams is accused of trying to force the woman into his car at about 8:45 p.m. Thursday outside a karate school in the 2600 block of Statesville Avenue, police said in a news release Friday, without naming the school.
Observer news partner WBTV identified the school as Bushiken Karate Charlotte Dojo.
A karate instructor “intervened and was assaulted,” according to the CMPD release.
CMPD officers arrived, and Williams was arrested “after a brief struggle with the officers,” according to the CMPD release.
Williams was jailed after he was treated and released at a hospital, police said.
WSOC-TV reporter Mark Barber tweeted a photo of Williams being wheeled on a stretcher from the scene.
“It’s a great thing the people in there were able to help defend her, extremely lucky that it was a karate studio,” CMPD Captain J.D. Thomas told TV news crews, WSOC-TV reported.
A phone message left by the Observer at the martial arts school Friday night was not immediately returned.
This story was originally published January 5, 2019 at 1:00 PM.