Wake Forest, NC residents are urged to keep their doors locked as police search for an "armed and dangerous" carjacking suspect. The alert, activated after a woman's Mercedes was hijacked near Triangle Town Center, was issued around 4:13 p.m. yesterday, as reported by CBS 17. The incident began at approximately 3 p.m., stating the suspect committing the act in front of a Hobby Lobby on Capital Boulevard.
Raleigh Police were able to track the vehicle using GPS information provided by the victim, who was unharmed during the ordeal. The suspect's evasion came to an end when he abandoned the car in a wooded area of the Tyler Run subdivision and fled on foot. Residents were warned by officials to stay vigilant, with Wake Forest town spokesperson Bill Crabtree stating, "He is considered armed and dangerous," as per an email mentioned by CBS 17.
The search involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Wake Forest Police Department and Wake County Sheriff's Office. However, as daylight faded, the hunt for the suspect, described as in his mid-20s and wearing a black hoodie, was suspended around 6 p.m. This marks the third such manhunt in Wake County in the past week, after searches for different armed individuals near Zebulon and Wendell, as ABC11 reported.
Witnesses to the carjacking told WRAL News the event unfolded rapidly. Cesar Rodriguez, a local resident who narrowly avoided becoming another victim, recounted, "They almost blocked me in. I reacted fast enough, turned my car and drove off." Rodriguez's experience underscores the brazen nature of the crime that has left the community rattled. "It shook up my wife," Rodriguez said. "She was around when it happened and she saw the event happened. You never see it, personally, in real life. It let's you know where you are as a community," he told WRAL News. Police continue to encourage residents to report any suspicious activity by calling 911.
