The Montgomery County Police Task Force arrested an 18-year-old-man from Burtonsville on charges of kidnapping and second-degree assault. The victim, an adult woman, suffered minor injuries from the crime, including from the shattered glass of a car window.
On June 1, police arrived in the area of Wexhall Drive and Greencastle Road after receiving reports of a man, later identified as Joel Akakpo, forcing a woman into his vehicle.
Officers were unable to locate the car in their initial search of the area. However, they successfully identified the victim from an ID in her purse, which she had thrown out the car window before it pulled away, according to the police report.
Later that night, a witness informed the Prince George’s County Police they had seen a woman shouting for help from the same make and model vehicle. The person on the scene reported seeing the offender throw a rock through the window after the victim locked him out of the car.
The Montgomery County Police ultimately located the vehicle abandoned in Beltsville. The next day, the officers found the kidnapper and the victim in Burtonsville on Almanac Court.
Officers took Akakpo into custody without incident. He is now at Montgomery County Central Processing Unit being held without bond.
