An unidentified trucker driving down I-29 in Missouri thought he was doing a good thing when he stopped to help a woman who appeared to have lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a ditch around 1 p.m. local time Jan. 22, but he ended up being held hostage.
The trucker stopped to help the woman and a 6-year-old, believed to be her daughter, near mile marker 85, but she pointed a flare gun at him and threatened the child if the trucker did not drive them in his semi.
“At that point, basically a hostage-type situation occurred,” Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Corey Root told News-Press Now. “She took her daughter — we believe it was her daughter — almost as a hostage to get the truck driver to drive her north on Interstate 29.”
She forced the trucker to drive her 26 miles north before police intervened. There was a brief standoff between the woman and police, but police were able to get the flare gun and arrest the woman. The child was safely recovered and has been released to the children’s department. The trucker was reportedly safe.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, the unidentified woman is facing charges of felony assault, felony first-degree kidnapping, and armed criminal action.
