Two children were allegedly kidnapped during a car robbery in North Carolina on Tuesday.
A couple had stopped to fill up at a gas station in Raeford at around 11 p.m. when two masked men stole their car at gunpoint and drove off with their two children in the back, according to Hoke County Sheriff's Office, which opened an investigation into armed robbery and kidnapping.
The children—whose ages were not released—were able to get out of the stolen car a short distance away and were shaken but unharmed, according to North Carolina TV station WRAL.
The two men allegedly approached the vehicle at the Lucky Stop gas station, located at 2196 Highway 401 Business, while one of the owners of the vehicle was pumping gas the other was paying.
"Two Black Males approached a vehicle at the gas pumps while the victim was pumping fuel into their vehicle. The two males were wearing black ski masks, black shirts, one with an 'Air Jordan' logo printed on it, and black shoes. One of the male subjects was also wearing black pants, while the other was possibly wearing gray pants," Hoke County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the two suspects approached the vehicle and one displayed a handgun. One of the men got into the driver's seat of the car, while the other pointed a firearm at the vehicle's owner. The armed man then got into the passenger's seat, before they drove off with the two children inside.
The two children got out of the vehicle in the parking lot of the J and L Clover gas station on nearby Rockfish Road, though it's not known exactly how they managed to get away. Afterwards, the two men drove off with the car.
A clerk at the gas station where the robbery occurred told WRAL that the two men sped off with the nozzle still attached to the car's gas tank, snapping the hose off the gas pump.
As confirmed by the Sheriff's Office, the vehicle in question was a light blue 2009 Toyota Camry.
The Hoke County Sheriff's Office released images of the suspects from surveillance footage and said they have a person of interest.
They are however asking anyone with information to come forward by contacting Detective Hoskins at (910) 479 -3832 or the Hoke County Sheriff's Office at (910) 875-5111. Any tips or information can also be submitted electronically by visiting www.hokecountysheriff.org and using the anonymous tip form.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says attempted abductions normally occur on the street while children are walking, biking or playing outside.
Most kidnappings involving school-age children happen before or after school, when kids are traveling to and from school, and after dinner time.
In 2020, the NCMEC reported more than 600 attempted abductions, and cited the common tactics used as offering a child a ride, money or treats, asking the child questions, and using an animal to interest the child.
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