Takim Allah Peden kidnapped his boyfriend in the victim’s white van, say police in Fort Worth, Texas. (Mug shot: Fort Worth Police Department; screenshot: KXAS)
A Texas man kidnapped his boyfriend and sped through several cities with the abducted victim in the back, say authorities. Cops identified the suspect as Takim Allah Peden, 29.
Fort Worth cops were dispatched Friday at approximately 7:42 a.m. regarding a disturbance at a motel near the intersection of Riverside Drive and East Lancaster Avenue just south of I-30, officers said in a statement obtained by Law&Crime.
A caller stated that a man was acting erratically while attempting to steal his van, then the call ended. Minutes later, the caller again dialed 911 to report that a struggle ensued and that the caller was now in the back of the van that had just been stolen by the suspect,” police wrote. “The suspect drove down several streets before entering I-30 and headed eastbound. The caller was giving a Fort Worth Police 911 call taker updates on their location as they traveled through the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie and Dallas, whose law enforcement members supported FWPD greatly in this investigation.”
Fort Worth locals called in to tell authorities about seeing a white van swerving and speeding through traffic, officers said.
“Callers also stated they could see a man through the back window yelling for help trying to get their attention,” police wrote. “At one point, a caller stated that the back door had swung open while the suspect continued to drive dangerously. The Fort Worth Police Real Time Crime Center located the van and its license plate and utilized the tools they have to direct responding officers to the suspect’s location in the 3900 block of Linfield Rd. in Dallas.”
Dallas cops found the van at around 8:51 a.m. that Friday and soon told their Fort Worth counterparts about arresting the suspect. Meanwhile, the victim was taken back to detectives in Fort Worth.
Police previously described the defendant and victim as having been dating, according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I just called, and I’m in a moving van that my friend just stole, and he’s driving crazy,” the victim told 911, according to Dallas Fox affiliate KDFW.
Records show Peden is charged with aggravated kidnapping resulting bodily injury, and he is held at the Tarrant County Jail on $75,000 bond.
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