A 22-year-old Atlanta man is accused of beating another man, then putting him in the trunk of the victim's car and driving to Alabama, according to police.
Melvin Floyd was arrested in Cleburne County, Ala., after a traffic stop Sunday and is expected to be returned to Cherokee County, Lt. Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office told the AJC.
When an Alabama officer searched the Mercury that Floyd was driving, they found a badly beaten 46-year-old Lyndon Baines Smith in the trunk, Baker said. The vehicle belonged to Smith, of Alabama, police said.
Floyd and Smith were in Cherokee County visiting family members in the Bridgemill neighborhood when Floyd allegedly beat Smith and put him into the trunk, Baker said. Floyd faces Georgia charges of kidnapping with serious bodily injury, battery and aggravated assault.
Smith sustained numerous facial and rib fractures, but is expected to survive, Baker said.
The victim was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he was in serious but stable condition, according to the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office.
As of Thursday afternoon, Floyd had not arrived back in Cherokee County, according to police. He was expected to return to Georgia within a week, Baker said.
Investigators have not determined a motive, but additional arrests are likely, Baker said.
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