Woman arrested after police report seeing her with hostage

A 24-year-old woman was arrested Thursday after police reported seeing her holding a gun to her former boyfriend's head as they drove past his home on the city's north side.

Deandre Powell, 24, told police someone broke the windows on his vehicle, which was parked in front of his home in the 200 block of Eastgate Drive, about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. He told police he suspected it was a 24-year-old former girlfriend.

Police Cmdr. Mike Walsh said officers went to his home to write a report. Officers returned to the man's home about 12:15 a.m. Thursday after his the vehicle was set on fire. They then began looking for the 24-year-old woman.

Walsh said Powell, his 19-year-old girlfriend and her 2-year-old child were asleep about 4 a.m. when they heard someone break into the back of the house and saw Powell's former girlfriend and two men enter the bedroom.

"The new girlfriend and small child were forced into a closet," Walsh said. "In the mean time, the men were tying up and gagging (Powell)."

Walsh said the men drove Powell to a Whataburger restaurant on Shoreline Boulevard, where he was forced at gunpoint into his former girlfriend's car and then made to drive her around the city until about 6 a.m.

Walsh said that detectives, officers and crime scene technicians were investigating at Powell's home when an officer noticed a slow-moving vehicle. When the officer shined a flashlight at the car, he saw the 24-year-old holding a gun to Powell's head as he drove, Walsh said. She was then arrested.

Walsh said the department intends to ask the district attorney's office to press charges against the woman.

Contact Sara Lee Fernandez at 886-3767 or fernandezs@ caller.com

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