Lee County, Florida

From Fort Myers’ NBC-2.com of April 26, 2006

Woman carjacked, son-in-law chases attacker

A local woman, who wished to remain nameless, was coming home from a friend’s house and while she was pulling into her parking spot a young man pulled up behind her and used a gun to try to steal her car. The woman’s son-in-law heard the commotion and came to the rescue.

The woman explained the incident was like something out of a movie. She knew something was wrong when she spotted a strange man sitting in a car on her property.

"I kind of stayed in the car, acting like I'm fiddling around until I could figure out who it is," said the woman.

When he saw her, he got out of his car and approached hers. She said he was carrying a pistol.

"When he got to the window, he turned. It was a handgun with a silencer on it," said the woman. "The gun was scary enough, but when I saw the silencer, I knew I was dead."

The man broke the window of the car and pulled the woman onto the pavement. She ran to her house screaming the whole way. Her son-in-law, Michael, is an ex-marine. When he heard the screams he came to help her.

"My son-in-law had gotten back from a trip and had a concealed weapons permit, had his gun on him, came running down here and tried to stop the guy," said the woman.

Michael told police he was in fear for his life and fired one round from his 45 caliber handgun. He hit the van and possibly the carjacker.

Deputies told the woman they located the van and found blood in it but there was no suspect.

She looks at the experience two ways.

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she had a son-in-law in the right place at the right time.

"All I know is that I ran as far as I could up there and Michael ran back down," said the woman.

The van that woman was driving as well as the carjacker's vehicle were located and impounded by deputies.

Deputies explained they have a suspect.

The woman said, detectives told her he may have criminal record that involves drugs.