‘He’s with me, and he’s alive’: Mother speaks out after being carjacked at gunpoint

CLINTON, Miss. (WLBT) - Tuesday was a night to forget for Emily Craft and her 4-month-old son Kaleb, who were held at gunpoint after returning home from a drive around Clinton.

“I really just felt like something was wrong. And I turned around after putting my son down and shutting the car door and there was a gun in our faces,” said Craft.

After being threatened with her life and having her new car stolen, she said everything that happened after the incident was a blur.

“I ran up the stairs screaming and crying and from the adrenaline, and from running, and from screaming. I was out of breath, and I collapsed on the ground outside our front door,” Craft said.

A Clinton police officer was entering the complex as the crime occurred, with a chase beginning soon after.

Wednesday morning, Craft was able to process the nightmare but also thought about what could have happened if she didn’t hand over her keys to the suspect.

“We live right off the interstate and so it wouldn’t have taken him any time to tell me to get in the backseat and I could have disappeared. Nobody would have ever seen me again... or what if he didn’t know that I had a baby in the backseat?” Craft asked.

According to the Clinton Police Department, the incident occurred around 11:00 p.m. at the Reserve Apartments. They said an officer was entering the complex around the time of the incident, and once the suspect drove off with Craft’s vehicle, a high-speed chase began.

That chase ended in a wreck on Clinton Boulevard in Jackson, where the suspect reportedly exited the damaged vehicle and escaped on foot.

Craft’s brand-new limited-edition Dodge Challenger was a total loss.

“The windshields are broken out, the airbags are deployed, the mirrors are falling off the car, it’s completely totaled,” said Craft.

At the end of the day, Craft was able to focus on the thing that mattered the most about her terrifying experience, which was that both she and Kaleb came out of it uninjured.

“A lot of terrible things could have happened and this situation sucks, but I’m safe, my child is still safe, and he’s with me, and he’s alive. I mean, the vehicle is replaceable,” said Craft.

A suspect is still on the run.

However, police have another individual in custody who is believed to be involved.

CPD is encouraging anyone with information regarding the subject who escaped on foot to call the department at 601-924-5252.

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