A WEEK ago a young woman on her way to her Eastern Road home was held up by a gunman, who had driven his car across the front of her car forcing her to stop.

He got out of his car and, through her half-opened passenger window, pointed a gun at her and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He pulled the trigger a second time. Again nothing happened. He froze.

Charlotte Mitchell said she “revved up” her car and with horn blaring, drove onto residents’ properties to get around the man’s parked car. At top speed she made it to Seagrape Shopping Plaza, from where the police were called.

The incident took place on Saturday, March 7. Mrs Mitchell said she had telephoned her mother from the Shell gas station to say that she was on her way home. When she got opposite Fox Hill on the Eastern Road she became aware of being followed. Deciding not to take the turn that would have taken her home, she drove on to Wild Tamarind Drive. The metallic, silver-gold coloured Honda Stream mini van, which was following, also turned. It was about 9.40 pm.

At the bottom of Wild Tamarind, she turned west and headed towards Camperdown Road. She had turned onto Camperdown Road when on the crest of the hill, the car behind her pulled horizontally in front of her Honda Accord, forcing her to stop.

There were three people in the car. A man, face covered with white powder and wearing a black hoodie, got out of the front seat of the blocking car and walked back to the passenger side of her car where the window was partly down.

“He pointed the gun at me,” said Mrs Mitchell. “ I cringed under the wheel of my car. I heard the gun go off, and could see a whiff of smoke but nothing happened. He pulled the trigger a second time. Again nothing went off. I don’t know if he thought I had something under the wheel of my car that I was trying to get, but he froze.”

In that spit second, she made a decision. She pressed her hand hard on the horn and her foot on the gas pedal and took off towards Sunset Ridge and Seagrape Shopping Centre.

Anyone who can give any information on this incident is asked to call ASP Antonio Munroe at Fox Hill Urban Renewal Centre - 364-8310/8320 or Sgt. Rolle at Elizabeth Estates Police Station - 364-8996.