Wednesday, July 4, 2001
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Wednesday, July 4, 2001 |
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Pavilion carjack suspect nabbed By JOHN MUNFORD
A Jonesboro woman leaped to safety from a moving vehicle after she was carjacked early Sunday morning at the Wal-Mart at Fayette Pavilion, police said. Pamela Davidson, 25, jumped out of the vehicle while the suspect "floored" the accelerator of her 1998 black Ford Explorer, said Lt. Tom Kirkbride of the Fayetteville Police Department. The suspect, Miguel Sanchez-Vasquez of Forest Park, was located after he wrecked the vehicle on Ga. Highway 85 north near Corinth Road, Kirkbride said. He will likely face charges of kidnapping, robbery and motor vehicle theft, Kirkbride said. Davidson was flown to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment, Kirkbride said. She was released from the hospital late Monday, according to a hospital spokesperson. Sanchez-Vasquez was taken to Southern Regional Hospital, where he was in critical condition Tuesday morning. Davidson told police the suspect approached her from behind while she was clearing room in her vehicle for a package she had purchased at the store. The suspect demanded money and her keys, and she handed over the keys and her wallet, Kirkbride said. The suspect then ordered her into the car and he drove the car from the parking space, Kirkbride said. A relative of Davidson's, who had been shopping with her, was still in the store when the incident occurred around 1:40 a.m., Kirkbride said. Although Davidson did not see a weapon in the suspect's possession, his hand was inside the waistband of his pants and under his shirt, creating the impression he was armed, Kirkbride said. Davidson jumped from the vehicle in front of an entrance to the store, and when she did so the driver "floored" the accelerator, Kirkbride said. "She was afraid he was going to come back and run over her," Kirkbride said. A Fayetteville police officer tried to follow the vehicle after seeing it strike the curb near the Starbucks at the Pavillion, Kirkbride said. Once the officer turned around, the vehicle was out of sight, but the officer turned north on Hwy. 85 in an attempt to locate the vehicle, Kirkbride added. At the time, the officer was unaware of the carjacking, Kirkbride noted. The officer reported that he thought the driver was possibly intoxicated, and after spotting the vehicle "a significant distance away," he pursued it outside the city limits without using his emergency lights or siren, Kirkbride said. The officer saw the vehicle flip over several times near the intersection of Hwy. 85 and Corinth Road, Kirkbride noted. "The vehicle was traveling away from him at a high rate of speed," Kirkbride said. Sanchez-Vasquez is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance at the time of the wreck, said Maj. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Charges will be filed if Sanchez-Vasquez's blood sample confirms he was under the influence, Hannah said. The vehicle was travelling over 100 mph when the accident occurred, Hannah said. Sanchez-Vasquez lost control of the car after running off the road, causing it to roll over several times, Hannah said. He was ejected from the vehicle and was not wearing a seatbelt, Hannah noted. The Sheriff's Department is investigating the accident because it occurred outside the Fayetteville city limits. The Fayetteville officer was in the area conducting business checks but was unaware the vehicle was involved in the carjacking until after he arrived at the accident scene, Kirkbride said. The officer was close enough when the incident occurred at the Wal-Mart to hear the tires of the Explorer squeal as the suspect drove away from the Wal-Mart parking lot, Kirkbride said. Fayetteville detectives are following up leads on the case and have already attempted at least one interview with Sanchez-Vasquez, Kirkbride confirmed.
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