LR woman unsettled by run-in with driver

Police are investigating after a Little Rock woman said a stranger tried to lure her out of her car Monday evening while insisting that she had hit his vehicle.

Laura Jones, 27, said in an interview Tuesday that she had pulled out of her parking space at Pleasant Ridge Town Center and was at a stop sign at Cantrell Road shortly before 5:30 p.m. A man in a red four-door vehicle then drove past her, made a U-turn, and parked his vehicle nose to nose with hers, she said.

According to a report from the Little Rock Police Department, Jones rolled down her window, and the man told her she had hit his vehicle while she was pulling out of the parking lot.

Jones reportedly told him she was sure she hadn’t hit his car. The man insisted she had and repeatedly told her to get out and look at the damage, saying she had hit him while he was dropping off his wife at the shopping center, according to the report. Jones told authorities the man was sweating profusely and wearing a padded or bullet-resistant vest.

Jones said she refused to leave her car despite the Right2Know crime database arkansasonline.com/right2know

man’s insistence but thought it might be possible he was confused and had been hit by a car similar to hers.

Jones said she “didn’t realize the gravity of the situation” until she suggested to the man that they exchange insurance information or call someone. That prompted him to tell her there wasn’t any damage but that she should be more careful while driving, she added.

Eventually, the man went back to his car and sped off on Cantrell Road. Jones reportedly didn’t see anyone else in the car with him, which she said made her more suspicious.

In a Facebook post, Jones warned others in Little Rock to look out for a man trying to lure women out of their cars, describing him as white, overweight, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with brown hair and glasses.

The post was shared more than 15,000 times as of midday Tuesday.

Little Rock police spokesman Michael Ford said anyone in a similar situation should call 911 to give a description as soon as possible and stay in the car.