Mobile police are asking the public to help identify a man caught on surveillance video moments before he and an accomplice attempted to carjack a stranger and opened fire on the victim’s vehicle early Wednesday morning.
According to the Mobile Police Department, the incident began around 12:40 a.m. outside the Circle K convenience store at 1395 University Boulevard. Surveillance footage released by police shows one of the two suspects entering the store’s front doors shortly before the attempted carjacking took place in the parking lot.
Police spokesman Officer Terence Perkins said only one of the two men went inside the store, while the other waited outside. After the first suspect emerged, the pair approached a driver in the parking lot and demanded his vehicle at gunpoint. Both men were armed with handguns during the confrontation, according to police.
The driver refused to comply and get out of his vehicle despite the threats, Perkins said. As the man drove away, the two suspects opened fire, striking the vehicle multiple times. Remarkably, police reported no injuries from the shooting, though the encounter easily could have turned deadly given the number of shots fired at close range.
Investigators have not released a description of the second suspect, focusing their public appeal on the man captured more clearly on the store’s surveillance cameras. Anyone who recognizes the individual in the released images, or who has other information about the attempted carjacking, is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-7211 or the department’s non-emergency line at 251-208-7000.
The University Boulevard corridor is a heavily traveled commercial stretch near several apartment complexes and retail centers, and convenience stores along the route have periodically been the scene of robberies and other late-night crimes. Carjackings in particular have remained a persistent concern for Mobile police in recent years, with officers repeatedly urging drivers to stay alert in parking lots, especially late at night, and to consider surrendering a vehicle rather than risking gunfire if confronted by an armed suspect.
Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the case. As is standard, investigators have not released the identity of the victim, who was not injured. The Mobile Police Department continues to encourage residents with any information, even seemingly minor details, to come forward as the investigation continues.