Texas car salesman kidnapped during test drive, escapes and fights back

What was supposed to be a typical test drive for a Houston car salesman turned into a violent kidnapping that ended with him escaping and two suspects fleeing.

As of Tuesday morning, police were still on the lookout for the two suspects and said a third one might be involved.

The salesman, who works at Gillman Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram in Houston, went on a test drive with one of the suspects a little after 6 p.m. on Monday, police said.

The suspect drove a red Dodge Challenger on the test drive onto a poorly lit road before punching the salesman in the face when asked for the keys, Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said. That’s when a second suspect arrived, who helped the driver bind the salesman and put him in the trunk.

The salesman managed to break loose and escape the trunk during a stop, leading to a violent altercation with the two suspects. One of them dropped a pistol he was carrying, which the salesman picked up and used to shoot one of the suspects, Senties said.

The wounded suspect then got into a nearby silver, four-door sedan and drove off, possibly with the help of a third person, Senties said. The other suspect took off in the stolen Challenger and soon was pursued by police. The suspect crashed the car before fleeing from the scene on foot.

Both suspects were still at large Tuesday morning. Senties said the suspect who entered the dealership for the test drive checked in with identification, which could help police identify at least one of the suspects.

Senties said the salesman was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was being treated for minor injuries.

The dealership is owned by Gillman Cos., ranked 48th on Automotive News’ list of top U.S. dealership groups with 17,133 new car sales at its 14 locations in 2014. The group is led by President Stacey Gillman Wimbish, the daughter of former chairman Ramsay Gillman, who died in 2011.