Two young women were carjacked while out for a Thursday night in Downtown New Haven. One of the passengers bravely fought back.
"That's the last thing I was thinking. That I was going to get beat up," said Danielle, who's last name we're concealing. She has bruises across her face and a welt to show for this frightening attack.
"Everything just happened so fast. My adrenaline was going and I was scared for my life."
She and her friend had left a concert at Toad's Place around 11:30 Thursday night, then walked to the Broadway parking lot.
"We were in the car backing out of the lot. We were ready to pull out," said Danielle. But before they could pull out police tell us Kareem Forrester of Fairfield came up to them asking for a ride.
Danielle nudged her friend to leave but, "He reaches inside of her car and grabs her clutch, her bag and grabs it and I'm like is this happening."
The driver ran after Forrester who gave the bag back but then he ran for their car, got in and sped off with Danielle still in the passenger seat.
"I was freaked out and he was just driving and wailing on me with a closed fist. Just hitting me and I was defending myself," Danielle added.
While her friend had gone to get help, another car stopped, asking Forrester what was going on. Police tell us he then jumped in the back seat of that car and was later caught by Yale Police.
"I have no respect for somebody like that," Danielle said.
While this all happened at a busy hour, Danielle and her father say several minutes had passed before anyone offered to help. "That blows my mind. That's amazing to me. Do something. Go run around and yell," Danielle's father Mark said.
"I woke up this morning and was like did that really happen," said Danielle, adding that she's not going out to Toad's or out anywhere for a while.
Forrester was arrested and charged with car jacking, kidnapping, assault and interfering with police.
