PULASKI, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man is in custody after allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman Monday morning.
Authorities in Giles and Maury Counties are working the case. The suspect, identified as Jaquan Berry, has only been out of prison for a couple of months.
"At the Walgreens in Pulaski, Tennessee, Mr. Berry attempted to abduct a woman there, attempted to carjack her, take her and her vehicle. Fortunately, she escaped," District Attorney Brent Cooper said.
She got away, but Cooper said Berry tried again. He walked to a nearby apartment complex and kidnapped a woman at gunpoint.
"Literally between my and my sister’s building in the same parking lot, that’s just scary. That’s horrific," neighbor Rashada Holt said. "It’s upsetting because it’s close to home."
Holt said she saw him lurking around their apartment complex in Pulaski.
"According to what we’re learning, he drove her around for an extended period of time and various locations, it appears that he crossed at least one or two county lines while she was in the car,” Cooper said, “At some point during the ordeal, he allegedly raped this lady, and then later they ended up in Maury County."
The victim was able to convince Berry to go get food in Columbia — knowing her relatives would be working at a local restaurant. That's when her dad came out and took matters into his own hands.
Cooper said Berry pulled a gun. Then her dad fought him off, got the gun, and held him until police arrived.
Prosecutors credit the victims with figuring out a way to escape. They say it could have ended differently.
"These were random acts,” Cooper said. “It looks like for all intents and purposes he was out trolling or looking for someone to kidnap and rape."
In 2010, Berry went to prison for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault following a crime spree in Rutherford and Davidson Counties. When he made parole, he was arrested again for aggravated robbery.
Now, he faces aggravated kidnapping and aggravated rape charges. NewsChannel 5 is told additional charges are pending.
