Terron WhiteROCKVILLE, Md. -
23-year-old Terron White of Baltimore pled guilty Friday to two counts of kidnapping in a carjacking incident of a woman and her baby in west Baltimore, taking them on a terrifying trip down I-95 and the Beltway.
It happened on July 13, 2011. The mother, Elyssa Samuels, and her 20-month-old son were inside a carjacked Lexus vehicle. Behind the wheel? A man who carjacked them from a west Baltimore gas station.
Police had trailed the car for miles, even having one state trooper sideswiped. But when the car approached Cabin John Parkway and the Beltway, suddenly the passenger door opened, and the victim jumped out of the car with her baby in her arms.
Authorities say the carjacking began when White forced his way into Samuels' car while she was getting gas in west Baltimore. Court documents say she had begged White to get her baby son out first. Instead, he used a piece of glass as a weapon to threaten her.
Officials say jumping out of the car may have saved her life.
During the chase, White ordered his victim - that if they were caught - to tell police she was his girlfriend. Police were able to stop White and arrest him only a few minutes after Samuels jumped out of the car with her baby. Luckily, both the mother and child suffered minor injuries.
White could face 40 years on the two kidnapping charges when he is sentenced on November 21.
Prosecutors say he was under the influence of marijuana and Percocet at the time of his arrest and has been under evaluation to determine if he was fit to stand trial before his case proceeded.
While Montgomery County has not convicted him, he is not done with the courts yet. Both Baltimore and Prince George's County already have detainers on White for his trip through their jurisdictions as well.
