Cops: Good Samaritans Detain Man After Abduction Attempt

A 28-year-old man is facing a number of criminal charges after he pushed his way into a woman's car in Katonah, and stopped her from trying to escape as he began to drive away, Bedford police said.

Travis D. Walker—who told officials he is homeless, and was last listed as living in Yorktown—was at the Westchester County Jail on $500,000 bail as of Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities say two Good Samaritans, an 18-year-old from South Salem and a 22-year-old from Brewster, are responsible for getting the local woman involved out of harm's way.

No one was injured in the Monday afternoon incident, but the victim, a 37-year-old Katonah woman, was in an emotional state—"very distraught" and crying—when about a half dozen officers arrived at the scene.

Several calls came in, at about 2:40 p.m., reporting a possible motor vehicle accident. Witnesses said a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta was "up on the sidewalk," near Kelloggs & Lawrence on The Parkway.

Officers arrived to find the vehicle as described, with one man in the driver's seat and two more flanking the Jetta. The victim was standing nearby.

Walker is accused of "yanking open" the victim's car door as the woman attempted to back out of a parking space. He forced the victim to the passenger side and a struggle, complete with screams, ensued as she tried to open the door and flee, police said.

The defendant reportedly stopped her from doing so and started to move the vehicle in reverse. The keys were knocked out of the ignition during the confrontation.

"They heard screaming and they ran to aid the victim," Lt. Jeffrey Dickan said of the two young men. "They were able to pull her from the car and get into the car and subdue the male, and get the keys from him."

Their identities are being withheld as the investigation continues, but the pair may be recognized for their efforts at a later date.

"The big story here is the two Good Samaritans," Dickan said, "because who knows what they stopped from occurring."

Police have yet to find a motive. They say the defendant and the victim did not know one another, and have "no past history whatsoever." It's unknown what Walker was doing in the area. She had just wrapped up some shopping.

"She was minding her own business," Dickan said.

Walker, who is due Thursday in Bedford Justice Court, is facing the following charges:

• Aggravated unlicensed operation (misdemeanor)
• Second and third-degree robbery (felonies)
• Second-degree attempted kidnapping (felony)
• Second-degree unlawful imprisonment (felony)
• Third and fourth-degree grand larceny (felonies)
• Unlawful possession of marijuana (violation)