Fort Worth gas station clerk kidnapped at gunpoint, rescued by officers at motel
.jpg "A kidnapping victim’s friend provided Fort Worth police with live data from a location-tracking app, which helped officers find her and arrest the suspect.")
A Fort Worth gas station clerk was kidnapped at gunpoint on Monday night and later rescued by officers thanks to a location-tracking app on her phone, a police spokesperson said.
The suspect, 25-year-old Freddie Banks Jr., entered the Penny’s gas station in the 4300 block of East Berry Street about 11:40 p.m. Monday, according to an online incident report. Banks then left the store and went to his vehicle to retrieve a handgun, said Buddy Calzada, a public information officer with the Fort Worth Police Department.
Banks then returned to the store and forced the clerk to follow him back to his vehicle at gunpoint, Calzada said. A store manager came out to the parking lot to see what was going on, and Banks threatened that employee with a gun as well, according to police.
Banks then drove off with the clerk in his car, Calzada said.
A friend of the victim, who was at the gas station when the kidnapping occurred, provided police with a third-party app that showed the victim’s live location.
“We were getting real-time updates on where they were,” Calzada said. Police tracked Banks and the victim to a motel off of Mansfield Highway, where they were able to arrest Banks and rescue the woman.
A motive for the kidnapping was not immediately clear, Calzada said. Police believe that Banks and the woman did not know each other. While at the gas station, Banks made no mention of robbing the store or the victim.
Banks faces charges of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records.
