After being abducted and kept hostage in a vehicle, a mother in Nevada was able to escape herself and her three children by pocket-dialing 911 and speaking inconspicuously with dispatchers.
According to the Mesquite Police Department, 34-year-old Justin Junius Carter attempted to stab the mother-of-three at her Las Vegas home before keeping her and her kids hostage at knifepoint.
According to police, the unnamed lady and the guy had a “previous connection,” and he took her and the kids to Mesquite, which is located about 80 miles northeast of Sin City and not far from the Arizona border.
Shortly after midnight, the lady was able to make a 911 call while still inside the car, evading the attention of her captor. She thought that by noticing the specific manner she talked to them and continuing the conversation, responders would see that she needed assistance.
After the lady gave police the car’s position over the phone, the vehicle was eventually located on Interstate 15 and recognized. Carter was then stopped and taken into custody while the other four victims were saved.
Attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, four counts of second-degree kidnapping in violation of an extended protection order, four counts of violation of an extended protection order, domestic battery with the use of a deadly weapon, and coercion with the use of a deadly weapon were among the 14 felony charges against Carter that were brought against him at the Clark County Detention Center.
In addition, he is accused of resisting arrest on two counts.
Mesquite Police Chief MaQuade Chesley told KVVU that “the courage of this mom and her children cannot be understated.” They remained calm, and she boldly devised a strategy in her brain to get assistance as soon as she could.
Chesley praised the dispatchers for seeing the woman’s scheme and working with the police to apprehend the culprit.
He said, “Their prompt response and tenacity in compiling data from the 911 call spared this family from additional damage.”
On October 26, Carter will make his first appearance in court in connection with the matter.
The suspect has already had run-ins with the authorities before.
He was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon and firing a gun into a “occupied building or vehicle” in November 2021, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
He may have broken his probation at the time of his arrest, according to district court records, which show that his probation had a maximum five-year term at the time.