MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Tennessee woman saves herself from kidnapping using TikTok hand gesture to alert cashier

The unidentified woman from Hickman County was visiting her brother on Sunday, April 10, when her former boyfriend Jonathon Smith kidnapped her

An unidentified Tennessee woman, who was kidnapped by her former boyfriend, Jonathon Smith, managed to save herself by using a TikTok hand gesture to alert a convenience store worker that she needed help. The woman from Hickman County was visiting her brother on April 10 when Smith kidnapped her.

The 31-year-old drove east on Highway 100, but they got into a physical confrontation inside the truck, Lt Mike Doddo of the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office told The Tennessean. "The girlfriend then asked to be let out. He said, 'No,' then threatened to kill her by grabbing a screwdriver and telling her if he couldn't have her, nobody could have her," he further revealed. Smith pulled up at the Twice Daily gas station at about 1 pm.

READ MORE

TikTok hand signal saves girl, 16, who was abducted by pedophile in North Carolina

Who is mystery man flashing White supremacy sign at Indigenous group? Internet calls him 'racist piece of sh*t'

The woman put her palm forward, tucked her thumb in, closed her four fingers over it, and showed the gesture to the cashier, who repeated it and the woman nodded in confirmation. The gesture is a popular signal on the content-creating platform TikTok and is used to alert others about the need for assistance during domestic violence or abuse in general.

The staff called 911, and the cashier stalled Smith by stating that something was wrong with the register. The kidnapper soon understood what was going on and left with the woman. When the deputies arrived at the scene, they found the truck leaving the parking lot. The witnesses gave them a summary of what happened, and the authorities began following the truck that crashed into a creel on Bear Valley Road in Dickson County. Smith got out of the vehicle and ran, but was tased and taken into custody. The woman was not injured.

Angel Barnhill, the cashier, told WKRN, "He seemed like he was very high on something. He was walking eyeballs and bones. He seemed iffy. We were not sure what he would do if I grabbed her. She looked so fragile and crying and very upset and looked like she might have been hit recently, her face was very red, and it looked like he wouldn't let her leave his side."

Eric Streeval, a customer and a member of a motorcycle group that helps women in domestic violence situations, told Fox 56 he saw the woman enter the store and mouth 'help' at him. "If you see something, say something. Domestic violence is a bad thing here in Tennessee. The victims, a lot of times they're too afraid to speak out. And I credit the young lady in this situation with having the world's most courage of actually speaking out because who knows what would have happened," he said.

Streeval added that he has reached out to the victim on social media and hopes to put her in touch with local resources. "I would just tell her to lean on family if she's got family, or find a complete stranger. If someone's willing to listen, talk to him. Don't think everything bundled up inside. Reach out to somebody and just believe the good in somebody," he advised.