Armed carjackers ambush family in Mississippi driveway, attempt to steal vehicle with children inside, make off with another car

Police in Jackson, Mississippi are searching for two suspects after a family was carjacked in their driveway at gunpoint. Two carjackers approached a family on their driveway in Jackson, Mississippi and fired a warning shot as they attempted to steal a car containing two young children, their mother, and their uncle.

The ambush occurred at about 7:30 pm on Friday, while it was still daylight, and the family was getting into the car. Heather Allen, the grandmother who lived in the house, was outside the car in her driveway, as was her son.

One of the carjackers opened the driver's side door and pulled Allen's daughter out of it, leaving the two children inside. "My babies are in the car!" The woman screamed as she was pulled out of the vehicle, Allen told local news.

"He jumps in the driver's seat," Allen said of one of the carjackers, "I'm standing on the outside looking in, and he points a gun at my oldest boy's face." After the gun was pointed at him, he got out of the passenger seat while Allen went around the car and was able to get her grandchildren out of the back seat.

The thieves were unable to start the car and were growing frustrated, the Daily Mail reports. "He kept hollering, 'Give me the keys, give me the keys'," Allen said, noting that her daughter was trying to tell him that her children were still in the car. Allen tossed the keys to her own car on the ground enabling them to take that one instead. The carjackers then stole Allen's car, a silver hatchback.

The car was found 40 minutes later just two blocks from the Allen home. Jackson police Chief Joseph Wade said that two suspects had been identified but had not yet been arrested and that a photo of one of the men had been released to the public.

After reviewing the footage, he said "I had an opportunity to look at the video of Ms. Allen and her family being robbed and carjacked in their driveway. It was extremely disturbing to me. It was very concerning because a threat to them and their family is a threat to everyone."


Surveillance image of one of the suspected carjackers released by JPD.