Mobile police are searching for an armed man who carjacked a woman near the intersection of Warren Street and North Carolina Street after a minor traffic collision escalated into an armed robbery late Friday night.
According to the Mobile Police Department, officers responded to the area near Mount Sinai Baptist Church around 10:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a carjacking in progress. Investigators say the woman’s vehicle was struck by a boxy, older-model Chevrolet Caprice. When she got out of her car to assess the damage, she came face-to-face with a man holding a gun, according to police spokeswoman Ashley Rains.
Police said the armed man had exited the front passenger seat of the Caprice before confronting the woman. He then got into her vehicle and drove away. Investigators said both her car and the Caprice were last seen heading north on Warren Street, suggesting the two vehicles may have left the scene together or in coordination.
The suspect is described as a Black man standing around 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing between 140 and 150 pounds. He was wearing dark clothing at the time of the robbery, including a bandanna wrapped around his lower face to conceal his identity, according to police.
No arrests had been announced in connection with the carjacking as of the initial report, and police continue to seek information from anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who recognizes the suspect’s description. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-7211.
Carjackings that begin with staged or minor collisions are a recognized tactic used by some armed robbery crews, who rely on the confusion of a fender-bender to lure victims out of their vehicles before displaying a weapon and fleeing with the car. Law enforcement officials in urban areas often caution drivers involved in low-speed, seemingly minor collisions to remain alert, keep car doors locked until they can assess the situation, and, when possible, move to a well-lit, populated area or call police before exiting the vehicle if anything about the circumstances feels off.
The area around Warren Street and North Carolina Street sits within a residential section of Mobile that has seen periodic property and violent crime reports in recent years, and the Mobile Police Department has continued to lean on tips from residents and witnesses to help identify suspects in cases where physical evidence at the scene is limited. Investigators have not indicated whether the stolen vehicle has since been recovered.