JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville police have arrested three men in connection with the abduction of a woman at gunpoint Wednesday night in the parking lot of an Arlington apartment complex.
Steven Harris, 25, Alandrey Brown, 21, and Bernard Gaines, 21, were arrested on charges of kidnapping, home invasion with a firearm, carjacking with a firearm, attempted armed sexual battery and other charges.
Police said the victim left her home on Morning Sun Drive in the Girvin area around 7:30 p.m. to pick up a friend at the apartment complex on Bert Road. When she arrived at the complex, she was confronted by the men, who forced their way into her car at gunpoint, police said.
They said the men drover the woman to an ATM to force her to withdraw money, and when that didn't work, they took her back to her home and tried to rape her, but stopped when she got sick. Police said the men tied her up and ransacked the house.
"She was traumatized, terrorized, very shook up," said a neighbor named John.
Police said the men left in the victim's car, and the woman was able to get free and ran to his house for help. He then called 911.
Police said an OnStar tracking device inside the woman's car led them to Arlington Expressway, where a police pursuit began. They said the men struck four cars before finally crashing on Acme Street. Police said the men ran but were eventually arrested.
Douglas Hughes said during the pursuit, the wall protecting his auto repair store was hit.
"You can see a car hit it, huge impact, probably going at least 40-50 mph, if I had to guess," Hughes said. "This is the second time in less than four to five months. It's crazy. Nothing ever seems to happen from it."
Police said the victim was traumatized but not physically injured.
Police said they want to speak with the victim's friend who lives on Bert Road. Police said they knew each other three days. When asked if this could have been a setup, police said they were investigating that as a possibility.
All three suspects have prior arrests. Gaines has prior arrests on charges of drug possession and burglary. Brown has a prior arrest on a charge of domestic battery. And Harris was convicted of robbery in Virginia.