NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Despite a massive manhunt, a man who police say tried to kidnap two people at gunpoint in New Braunfels over the weekend is still on the run.
"They surprise you. It's very quick and it's a very violent attack. And it usually catches you off guard and you're not prepared for it," retired San Antonio police detective Eddie Gonzales said.
Gonzales' depiction is not far from what the kidnapping victims described.
New Braunfels police said the incidents happened a day apart.
The first attempted kidnapping was reported just after 1:30 p.m. Saturday near the McKenna Children's Museum. The victim told police that a man got into his car, displayed a gun and told the victim to keep driving. The man got out of the victim’s car near Interstate 35 and was seen running away toward Ruekle Road.
The second attempted kidnapping was reported around 4 p.m. Sunday in the 200 block of South Kowald Lane. The victim told police that she was driving when an unknown man flagged her down, got into her car, showed a gun and demanded that she drive him to Houston. She drove the man around for two hours before stabbing him in the leg and running for help.
Both reported that a clean-shaven, older white or Hispanic man flagged them down. When they offered him a ride, he pulled a gun on them when he got into the car.
"There’s a lot of opportunists out there and you're your first line of defense. So the first thing you want to do is try to protect yourself and not put yourself in a bad position to begin with," Gonzales said.
Even if someone is just trying to be a good Samaritan, Gonzales advises people not to stop and instead to call 911.
Parents like Kaylin Gomez are worried that the man has not been caught. Gomez said she doesn't trust anyone.
"Not because we don’t care, but you just don’t know. It happens so much and it can even be women. Sex trafficking is something that's happening in our country and they use children and women to do their work, so that way you don’t think they're going to do something. You trust them. You think, 'Oh, it's just a woman and a child.' But you never know," Gomez said.
Her husband, Koa Carbajal, was in shock that the attempted kidnappings happened where he lives.
"It's got that small-town charm; safe, small-town feel, and it's surprising. (It's) something you hear about in San Antonio, not so much New Braunfels," Carbajal said.
Comal County Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Call 830-620-8477 to submit an anonymous tip.
Anyone with information can also call the New Braunfels Police Department at 830-221-4100.