Louisville woman escapes man trying to steal car, kidnap her

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Louisville Metro Police officers are looking for a man accused of breaking into a woman’s home, stealing her car and kidnaping her.

LMPD 4th Division Major Tiffany Tatum told WAVE 3 News officers responded to an in progress break-in early Sunday morning in the 100 block of E. Ormsby Avenue. Tatum said officers arrived within minutes to find the suspect had already fled the scene.

The victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WAVE 3 News she woke up to a man standing over her bed, dressed head to toe in black, demanding the keys to her car.

“I can’t even go in my bedroom, without having this visual of this, what I call, a gorilla silhouette,” the woman said. “It’s a very frightening thing. And I’m saying, ‘What are you doing in my house?’ And he’s saying, ‘where are the keys to your car, where are the keys to your car?’”

The woman said the man pushed in her window, entered the home and rummaged through her belongings, looking for her keys.

When he couldn’t find them, he woke her up and demanded she hand them over. The woman said she refused to give him her keys, and fought back briefly.

Eventually, she said the man grabbed her and forced her to walk him to her garage, with the intent to steal the car and kidnap her.

“I was in the yard and I started screaming,” she said. “Of course, nobody hears me. Then he put his hand, and said ‘stop screaming, you’re going to come with me.’”

The victim told WAVE 3 News the man loosened his grip when he attempted to open her garage door, allowing her to break free and run away to a neighbor’s house. While they called police, the suspect tried to start her car and took off.

Tatum is asking for neighbors’ help to identify and capture the suspect.

“The community is our best asset, because they know the area better than we do,” Tatum said. “They know who fits in and who doesn’t fit in. And they are always the ones who help us find suspects.”

While police investigate, neighbors have stepped up to help the victim.

On Monday, a neighbor installed a security system in her home to provide some peace of mind.

Physically, the woman is suffering from bruises on her shoulders, face and arms. Emotionally, she is still shaken up. However, she’s thankful for her strong will, which ultimately saved her car and her life

“I’m not going to have some punk drive my car off, and what I get back is junk,” the woman said. “So I was determined not to do this. Politically, it’s not the right thing to do but actually in hindsight, it worked.”

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