Armed Mississippi Driver Holds Carjacking Suspect for Deputies Without Firing a Shot

A Mississippi gun store owner and firearms trainer held a man at gunpoint after the man allegedly tried to take his truck, then waited for Rankin County deputies without firing, USA Carry reports, citing the sheriff's office and WLBT.

Key points

• Train stopped: On Saturday, October 3, at about 9:30 a.m., callers reported a red SUV with a Florida plate driving the wrong way on U.S. Highway 49 before it stopped on railroad tracks off Dixie Road in Star. A freight train halted about 200 yards short of it after dispatchers alerted the railroad.
• The encounter: The sheriff's office said the man walked to Dixie Road and approached a driver on his way to work. The driver told WLBT the man demanded his truck, yanked on the handle and reached inside to unlock the door.
• His response: The driver said he drew his permitted handgun, leaned away so it could not be grabbed, and gave slow, steady commands to get back.
• Arrest: Deputies took a 22-year-old Florida man into custody. After an evaluation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, he was booked on charges of attempted carjacking and obstructing a railway.

Quick take

The driver said he was "thankful I did not have to shoot." Sheriff Bryan Bailey said the incident "could have ended in tragedy" and credited dispatchers, deputies and the armed citizen who held the suspect safely. USA Carry notes these are charges, not convictions.

Read the full story at USA Carry.