Woman kidnapped in Walmart parking lot is forced to drive at gunpoint, Maine cops say
While waiting to meet an acquaintance at Walmart, a woman said she was kidnapped and forced to drive at gunpoint, according to police in Maine.
Her acquaintance, 30-year-old Katelynn McLaughlin, of Portland, is one of the accused kidnappers.
As the woman sat inside her car, McLaughlin arrived to meet her in the parking lot of a Walmart in Brunswick around 11:27 a.m. on Jan. 24, according to a Feb. 16 news release issued by the Brunswick Police Department.
McLaughlin stepped inside the woman’s car, then a stranger with a gun also got inside, police said.
Emmanual Hurtado, 33, of Augusta, pointed the gun at the woman and forced her to drive, according to police, who didn’t specify where she drove to.
After about 20 minutes of driving, Hurtado got out of the vehicle, police said.
It’s unclear what happened immediately afterward. McClatchy News contacted Chief of Police Scott Stewart for more information Feb. 16 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
Stewart told the Portland Press Herald that Hurtado stole “personal property” and that an investigation revealed McLaughlin was also involved in the theft.
McLaughlin and Hurtado have been arrested on charges of kidnapping, robbery, aggravated reckless conduct, criminal conspiracy, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and theft by unauthorized taking, according to police.
Information regarding their legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
Hurtado was also charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and violation of conditions of release, authorities said.
He was arrested by Massachusetts State Police, according to Brunswick police. It wasn’t specified when or where Hurtado and McLaughlin were arrested.
At the time of Hurtado’s arrest, officers found three loaded guns and two bulletproof vests, according to the release.
“He is currently facing unrelated charges in Massachusetts,” police said.
Hurtado is detained in the Middlesex Jail and House of Corrections in Massachusetts, according to authorities. Meanwhile, McLaughlin is detained at the Cumberland County Jail in Maine, police said.
“Personal property” related to the case was recovered in another jurisdiction, police said.
Both McLaughlin and Hurtado have lengthy criminal records, according to the Portland Press Herald.
This story was originally published February 16, 2024 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Woman kidnapped in Walmart parking lot is forced to drive at gunpoint, Maine cops say."
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