A Florida man allegedly drove an SUV onto railroad tracks in Mississippi, forcing an approaching freight train to stop before leaving the vehicle and trying to take a passing motorist’s car.
The confrontation ended differently than he may have expected: the motorist was armed.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 22-year-old Ronnie Percy Holmes of Florida. He was taken into custody Saturday morning in the Star community on charges of attempted carjacking and obstructing a railway.
Holmes was later taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for an evaluation before being booked into the Rankin County Jail.
Wrong Way
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The incident began around 9:30 a.m. Oct. 3, when dispatchers began receiving 911 calls about a red Chevrolet SUV with a Florida license plate traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 49.
Additional callers reported that the SUV turned onto Dixie Road before the driver took it onto railroad tracks near the Airgas facility, where it came to a stop and blocked the line.
Dispatchers contacted the railroad in an effort to stop any approaching trains and learned that a freight train was already headed toward the location.
The train stopped about 200 yards from the SUV.
Another Vehicle
After leaving the SUV on the tracks, Holmes allegedly walked back toward Dixie Road and approached a passing motorist, where the sheriff’s office said he attempted to enter the vehicle and take it from the driver.
The motorist, a Rankin County resident who owns and operates a firearms store and training facility in Flowood, feared for his safety and drew a firearm.
He held Holmes at gunpoint until deputies arrived and took Holmes into custody without further incident.
Because of what the sheriff’s office described as the intentional obstruction of a railway, the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and the FBI’s Jackson office were notified.
Sheriff Bryan Bailey credited the dispatchers with recognizing the danger and getting the approaching train stopped, while also praising the responding deputies and the motorist who detained Holmes.
Holmes is expected to appear before Rankin County Court Judge David Morrow on charges of attempted carjacking and obstructing a railway.