Two teens who called 911 after they saw a kidnap victim begging for help from inside a car described the dreadful chase and how they are afraid for their lives when the alleged kidnapper saw them.
Jamal Harris, 17, was a passenger in 19-year-old Aaron Arias’s car when he looked over at another vehicle at a stoplight and dotted a blonde lady in the backseat who he thought was pretty. But when Jamal took a closer look, he realized something was seriously wrong as the lady was speaking, ‘Help me!’
This modest glimpse led to a 12 minute car hunt, a panicky 911 call and the arrest of Charles Atkins Lewis Jr., who had supposedly forced the 25 year old woman into her own car at gunpoint in Dallas.
The brave teens described that they were driving through Seagoville as they went to collect a friend from work when Jamal spotted the woman in the car. He was looking at the lady and thought that she is pretty and asked his friend to look at her too.
But Jamal could tell from her facial appearance that what she was telling him was very grave as she was mouthing “Help me”. He told Aaron what he was seeing but the friend was unconvinced and said he needed to attention on driving. But Aaron also became suspicious when the light switched to green and the car took off too fast. Then Aaron saw the woman hitting the back window to get their attention, so decided to follow them.
They called 911 and frantically described what they had seen. Aaron told to the operator that they are on the highway and witnessing a kidnapping.
And then, all of the sudden the kidnaper is turned back looking at them.
Although both the teenagers said they would apparently do the same again but they confessed that they began to feel more worried towards the end of the chase. The kidnaper knows that he was being followed and he could’ve done something to her or to the teens.
Officers were on the scene minutes later and pulled the car over and the woman being taken to safety by police officers. The police found a gun and knife inside the car when they apprehended her alleged captor, Charles Atkins Lewis Jr.
The woman had been kidnapped as she left a downtown Dallas office building. Lewis allegedly smacked her across the head with a pistol and forced her into her own car. He drove off and a few minutes later, he threw her cell phone from the window of the moving car.
They were eventually stopped by police officers nearly 40 miles away in Kaufman. The woman was checked by paramedics but was not hurt. Aaron said he met her after the release and she gave him a hug. He said that he would describe it as the best hug he has ever gotten.
The teens refused to consider themselves as a hero and said that they have just saved her life while, Lewis remains in jail on $50,000 bond and he is charged with serious kidnapping.