Dramatic video shows woman running into store as ex-boyfriend allegedly attempts to kidnap her
By WTAE Staff
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BUTLER COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Dramatic video shows the moment a woman ran into a store to evade an ex-boyfriend who was allegedly attempting to kidnap her in Butler County.
Authorities were called to the 100 block of Pillow Street on Valentine’s Day for a reported kidnapping and domestic assault.
When authorities arrived, they spoke with a woman who said she was involved in a fight with Kenneth Clarke on McGeary Street in Butler City.
The woman said Clarke had hit her in the face multiple times, adding her lip ring was torn out.
During the fight, Clarke allegedly placed his hands on her neck and began to strangle her before grabbing her hair and shoving her into a wall.
A news release from Butler City police stated Clarke dragged the woman from a home and threw her into a U-Haul van before driving off while holding a pair of scissors to her.
The victim said she made the decision to try and escape after Clarke allegedly told her he was going to kill her.
When the woman began to run, authorities say Clarke tried to stab her with the scissors and caused a cut in her pants.
The dramatic surveillance footage shows the woman running into a store, where Clarke followed before fleeing into the U-Haul before police could arrive.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke with worker, Tori Adams, who was inside the Butler Tobacco and Grocery. She detailed the intense scene.
“There was blood down her face. Her pants were ripped. She didn’t have shoes on. And she kept repeating, screaming like I’ve been kidnapped. Or he tried to kidnap me.”
Adams said Clarke came into the shop and was trying to find the woman.
“He kept yelling at me, and I just, I kept charging towards him. Like, to try to, like, walk him back out the door, like I didn’t know what he was capable of. All I knew was like this girl with battered, bloody and sitting in my back room. My son was behind the counter and I was like, no, we’re not doing this today.”
He was eventually taken into custody by Evans City and Jackson Township police following a short chase.
Police have filed multiple charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, strangulation and terroristic threats.
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