2 men survive kidnapping at gunpoint by calling 911 from trunk of car, police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - Authorities in Tennessee say two men survived a kidnapping in Nashville by calling for help from the trunk of a car.

According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Jericco McFarland, 41, pointed a gun at two men, ages 18 and 26, and fired multiple shots before forcing them into the trunk of his white Ford Fusion.

“This shot struck/grazed the victim on the left leg near his ankle and continued down through the top and out the back of his shoe,” arrest papers stated.

McFarland was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Nov. 16 kidnapping, which police say unfolded at about 4:45 p.m. in the alley behind a Citgo gas station on Dickerson Pike.

Once in the trunk, one of the men dialed 911. Soon after, police allege that McFarland stopped the car along Lischey Avenue and opened the trunk with a second gunman, who police have yet to identify.

“They took the victim’s pants and hit both victims” with their pistols, police reported. An affidavit said the suspects also took other items, including a necklace.

Eventually, dispatch “pinged” the victim’s phone, leading officers to find the vehicle with the men still in the trunk.

Police said both gunmen managed to run away from officers at the scene and they found the victims injured but were able to rescue them.

Nashville police said they were able to obtain video of the alleged attack, and both men identified McFarland as their kidnapper in a photo lineup.

The 41-year-old suspect is charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery, and felon in possession of a gun. He was jailed on a bond of more than $200,000.

Authorities said they arrested McFarland after finding him in his mom’s Chevy Impala at a Publix parking lot in west Nashville while locating a loaded gun in the car.

Police didn’t elaborate on the events leading up to the shooting or the relationship between the men and McFarland, but a spokesperson confirmed that what happened didn’t appear to be a random act.