Crime & Safety
Walmart Kidnapping Suspect Arrested
Police say Jamez Maclin followed the woman from the store parking lot in his BMW, then tried to abduct her outside her home.
BUFORD, GA — A man police say followed a woman home from a Gwinnett County Walmart, then tried to kidnap her, has been arrested.
Jamez Maclin, 23, had been wanted on multiple charges, including kidnapping and battery, since the incident late Wednesday night. He turned himself in to detectives at the Gwinnett County Police Department's central precinct on Monday afternoon.
According to police, a woman was shopping shortly before midnight Wednesday at the Walmart at 3795 Buford Dr. in Buford.
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When she walked out of the store, she noticed a white BMW parked behind her vehicle. As she drove home, she noticed a car behind her, but didn't realize it was the same vehicle from the parking lot, police said.
She pulled into her driveway, got out of her vehicle and walked to the front door of her home. As she opened the door, a man grabbed her from behind. The woman screamed, police say, and when her mother came running to the door, the man released her and ran, driving away in the white BMW.
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Police responded to her home and the Walmart. Officers located a white BMW in the store's parking lot and say the woman was able to identify Maclin — the registered owner of the car — as the person who tried to kidnap her.
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They also drove her back to Walmart and she identified the car as the one that had just left her home.
At the store, police believe Maclin had walked into the Walmart when they arrived and then ran away on foot. Video surveillance showed the white BMW following the woman when she left the parking lot, police said.
Shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday, Maclin called 911 and tried to report his car stolen from an address in Buford, police said. Police responded to the address he gave, but couldn't find him at the scene. Police believe he reported the car stolen in an attempt to cover up the fact he used it during the kidnapping attempt.
Maclin was transported to Gwinnett County Jail without incident and booked at 2:52 p.m. on Monday, police said.
Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department
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