A shirtless and shoeless man is facing kidnapping charges after a quick-thinking Georgia mom weaponized a gas pump’s hose and fuel nozzle to fend him off when he allegedly tried to snatch her children at a suburban Atlanta gas station.
Newly released video shows the mother pumping gas at a Shell station in Marietta near midnight last week when a man authorities identified as Jerahn Tucker, 30, walks toward the family’s car. He’s bare chested and barefoot, wearing only what appear to be shorts sagging below his waistline.
Tucker reportedly spoke with the woman, but then the encounter mysteriously escalated.
A spokesman for the Marietta police explained to news outlets what happened next.
“He appears to charge at the car,” information officer Charles McPhilamy said, according to Fox News. “He’s trying to open the car doors. He’s trying to pull the child out of the back seat.”
He also claimed to have a gun, according to an arrest warrant later obtained by police.
Surveillance video captured the ensuing drama.
It shows one child jumping from the vehicle and running around the pump island as Tucker chased after him. The police spokesman reported the mother’s thoughts, apparently obtained by responding police: “What is this individual capable of?” McPhilamy said. “What are they doing? Why are they trying to get in my own car? What are they doing? Trying to pull children out of the car.”
The woman didn’t wait to find out.
A mother’s protective instincts kicked in. As Tucker allegedly came around the back of the vehicle, she pulled the pump hose out of her car and appears to swing its heavy nozzle like a ball and chain.
It keeps Tucker from approaching for a few moments, giving the mom time enough to be aided by two bystanders who rushed to her side to help.
Tucker then got into his vehicle and drove away, according to police.
He didn’t get far. Police responding to a 911 call stopped Tucker a short distance from the gas station and arrested him on the spot.
“The actions of the mother and everyone on the scene, their ability to remain calm under pressure and push him away, get him away from the children, get a hold of us so that we can get to the area allowed us to hold this individual accountable,” McPhilamy told Fox 5 in Atlanta.
What motivated the attack has not been reported yet by authorities. Police said that workers at the gas station identified Tucker as a frequent customer.
He is being held in the Cobb County jail on charges of attempted kidnapping and simple assault.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
