KENTWOOD, Mich. — A woman jumped from a moving vehicle to escape a man who allegedly assaulted and kidnapped her in Kentwood last month, leading police to case the man down in a Walker neighborhood.
It started on the night of June 12 on Coach Lane near 32nd Street and Shaffer Avenue in Kentwood where investigators said Elijah Sainvil "brutally" assaulted a 21-year-old woman. Sainvil then forced the woman into a vehicle and drove off, according to police.
Just before midnight, Sainvil stopped at a gas station in Walker, where the woman escaped from the vehicle and tried to run. Witnesses reported Sainvil caught up with her and began dragging her back to the car when she started screaming for help.
Sainvil was able to force her back in the car and took off, but the woman jumped out of the vehicle while it was moving and ran back to the gas station, said police.
The report of the situation alerted officers to the suspect's vehicle, which was spotted by police minutes later. When officers attempted to pull it over, Sainvil kept driving through a business parking lot and down 3 Mile Road, said police.
He eventually ditched his vehicle at 3 Mile Road and Nolan Avenue, based on video released by the Walker Police Department. The man ran through several backyards of nearby homes before officers cornered him in a fenced business property. He surrendered and was put in handcuffs, the video shows.
WATCH: Video shows police track down assault & kidnapping suspect
Sainvil now faces multiple felony charges, including assault with intent to murder, unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, fleeing a police officer, and obstructing a police officer.
The victim was treated at the hospital for her injuries.
