Driver held hostage in North Carolina taxi had a clever way to get free, police say
A driver was being held hostage in his North Carolina cab when a clever decision led to his own rescue, officials say.
The harrowing ride started when he picked up passenger Schnique Miller near the coast on Tuesday morning, the Wilmington Police Department said in a news release.
The woman said she wanted a ride to Jacksonville — which is about 50 miles northeast — but couldn’t remember an exact location, according to the release.
“As they drove along, the cab driver became suspicious and told Miller that, unless she could provide an address, he was going to stop and put her out on the side of the road,” police said.
That’s when Miller told the driver “she had a knife to the back of his head and that he better continue driving until she told him to stop,” the news release said.
The driver thought he heard a knife open and was afraid for his safety, Wilmington authorities say.
He ended up fiddling with his car’s radio to let dispatchers hear the kidnapping-in-progress, according to police. His company called 911, prompting a response from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, officials say.
Deputies stopped the taxi and arrested Miller, according to the Wilmington news release.
Police say she had a cigarette lighter, which may have created the knife-like sound.
Miller faces a kidnapping charge and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon, records show.
