A casual trip to the grocery store took a terrifying turn for a Marietta woman who was forced to fight off a man attempting to kidnap her, then fell out of her car as the man sped from the parking lot, police said.
Randy Harmon, 34, was later arrested by Cobb County police while driving a different stolen car, Marietta police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy said in a news release. The victim, Tomeka Harris, suffered minor injuries when she fell out of her car but was commended for her bravery by Marietta police Chief Marty Ferrell.
“The Marietta Police Department would like to publicly commend Tomeka Harris for her determination, courage and resilience in the face of danger,” Ferrell said in a statement. “Law enforcement agencies preach RUN HIDE FIGHT and/or AVOID DENY DEFEND regularly, and Ms. Harris absolutely used those same principles while being attacked by a man with a gun. We are grateful that she is safe, and that her property was all recovered.”
According to police, the incident took place Dec. 6 around 9 a.m. at a Kroger store at 1122 Powers Ferry Road, near the intersection with Delk Road. Harmon, a felon, arrived there about 10 minutes before Harris and parked in a lot to the side of the store. After Harris arrived, Harmon moved his car next to hers while she went inside.
When she came back out to her car, Harmon approached her from behind with a gun as she opened the driver’s door, McPhilamy said. Harmon forced Harris into the car and over the center console at gunpoint, McPhilamy said. But once inside, Harris fought back.
As the two struggled, Harmon got the vehicle moving and began to drive, McPhilamy said. At that point, Harris was able to open her door and “tumbled out of her vehicle to safety,” according to McPhilamy.
In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, Harris said she screamed when she felt the gun pressed to her side, but Harmon slammed her car door and brandished the weapon in her face.
“That’s when I realize that I was in major trouble. I just remember calling on God, and I said, ‘Jesus!’ probably about three times,” she told the news station. “My life was in danger and I had no idea where he was taking me and what he had in mind to do with me.”
Harris said she was able to unlock the passenger door as Harmon tried to drive away.
“He slammed on the gas and I went flying out the door, and that’s how I got away,” she told Channel 2.
Harris added that she injured her knees hitting the ground, but she is thankful to be alive.
Officers were called to the scene and began immediately searching the area for Harris’ car, McPhilamy said. It was located in less than an hour by Cobb officers, parked in a nearby subdivision. All of her personal property remained inside.
Later the same day, Harmon was pulled over in a different stolen vehicle that was detected by license plate-reading technology in the area, McPhilamy said. That was the same car he had abandoned in the grocery store parking lot that morning, according to McPhilamy.
Harmon was charged with five felony counts related to the incident: attempted kidnapping, hijacking a motor vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Jail records show he is facing several other, unrelated charges, including additional felonies. He is charged with failure to appear, credit card theft, two felony counts of theft by receiving stolen property and multiple misdemeanor traffic violations.
“A crime like this does not typically occur in Cobb,” Ferrell said. “The interagency collaboration as well as the investment the city and surrounding jurisdictions have made in license plate-reading cameras definitely aided in our ability to hold this criminal accountable.”
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