Neighbors fought but failed to stop brazen daylight kidnapping, say Kennewick police
A 24-year-old is charged with kidnapping after neighbors say he busted open his girlfriend’s door and dragged her to his car, according to court documents.
The neighbors tried to stop him but he drove away.
A doorbell security camera caught Johnny Ray Cochran Davis committing the brazen morning kidnapping Feb. 24 on the 1000 block of South Newport Street, say police.
Kennewick police arrested Davis later the same day, and he remains in the Benton County jail on charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and harassment.
At his first appearance in Benton County Superior Court last week, Deputy Prosecutor Brendan Siefken requested bail to be set at $200,000 because of his previous domestic violence assault convictions in Franklin and Walla Walla counties.
“There is a strong concern for community safety and the safety of the victim,” he told Court Commissioner Megan Whitmire.
Whitmire agreed, saying it sounded like an “unusual and dangerous situation.”
Kidnapping incident
Investigators say Davis and the 20-year-old were dating and got into an argument the night before.
Davis showed up the next day at her apartment on Newport Street about 8:15 a.m.
Witnesses said he was parked outside for 10 minutes honking his horn until the woman came outside. But as soon as she saw the driver, she raced back.
A 45-second clip from a doorbell security camera showed her hurrying to get inside. After finding the door locked, Davis slammed his shoulder into the door hard enough to crack it, the video showed.
Davis fell to the ground, got up and hit it a second time, breaking down the door.
The woman can be heard yelling, “No,” while Davis allegedly responds by saying, “You are coming with me right now.”
After telling him that she doesn’t want to go, the footage shows him dragging her out and down the sidewalk by her hair. As he’s forcing her into the car, the woman yells for help.
Three neighbors reported seeing Davis dragging the woman by her hair, according to court documents. They tried to get both of them out of the car, said investigators.
Davis put the car into reverse, damaging the doors, and then sped away.
The witnesses then called police.
Officers tracked Davis to a home on the 6700 block of Kennewick Avenue about 1:30 p.m., and he was spotted nearby. After a short foot chase through some yards police caught up with him.
The woman was found at the home where the chase started.