In a terrifying incident captured on doorbell camera footage, a family in Jackson, Mississippi, was attacked by armed carjackers in their own driveway, with the assailants attempting to flee in the family’s vehicle while young children were still inside. The chilling episode occurred last Friday and was documented by local news outlet WAPT.
The footage shows two men approaching the home where Heather Allen and her adult son were standing next to a black car parked in the driveway. Armed with at least one gun, the carjackers confronted Allen and her son. A gunshot is audible in the video as Allen and her son take cover behind the vehicle. The aggressors then escalate the situation; one of them opens the driver’s door, forcefully removes Allen’s daughter from the car, and takes the driver’s seat.
In a harrowing moment, Allen describes the terror: “He jumps in the driver’s seat, I’m standing on the outside looking in, and he points a gun at my oldest boy’s face.” Her son managed to escape; however, her two grandchildren, her daughter’s children, were still in the car. “My daughter was like, ‘My babies, my babies are in the car,'” Allen recounted during the emotional interview.
In a desperate move to protect her family, Allen grabbed her grandchildren from the vehicle while the assailants demanded the car keys. To ultimately drive the carjackers away, Allen threw her keys towards them. They then fled in her other car, which was parked on the front lawn. Fortunately, her vehicle was recovered undamaged about two blocks away, roughly 40 minutes after the ordeal, according to Jackson police. The car is currently with the police as they gather evidence.
The impact of the incident on Allen and her family has been profound. “I’m not sleeping. My oldest son, his anxiety is through the roof — he’s even scared. My daughter, she has shock, but they’re safe,” she shared with WAPT. Having only lived in Jackson for three months, Allen expressed her desire to leave the area, shaken by the harrowing experience. The community and authorities are now more alert, hoping to prevent such violent acts from recurring in their neighborhood.