Two women escape kidnapping suspect

A 911 caller thwarted a suspect’s kidnapping attempt by holding a Cape Coral store door closed while the two victims stood inside Tuesday.

The suspect, Bryan Gibson, 34, faces charges of 2-counts of False Imprisonment, 2-counts of Petit Theft, Battery, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and 4-counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The two victims helped Gibson move out of the Casa Loma Hotel and into a trailer. Once they finished, Gibson drove them north on Del Prado Blvd. S.

Gibson was mentioning that he was concerned that they were being tracked by their cellphones and asked them to put their cellphones in the center console, which they did, the Cape Coral Police Dept. press release states. Near the 700 block of Del Prado Blvd S, Gibson grabbed a cigarette and opened his window. He then seized their cellphones and threw them out the window.

The female victims immediately asked to get out of the vehicle, fearing for their safety. Gibson locked the doors. Then, one of the victims opened a window and tried to climb out as Gibson grabbed her shoulder and leg, pulling her back into the vehicle.

A victim was finally able to get the front passenger window partially open and managed to jump out of the vehicle, per the press release. Both women ran into the Seven Eleven and locked the door behind them and had the clerk call the police.

Responding officers were advised that there was a disturbance between two females and a male that was said to have a knife, the press release states. The caller was holding the store door closed so the male could not get in and two females were also in the store stating that the male was trying to kidnap them.

K9 Officer Reese and K9 Arca conducted an open-air sniff on Gibson’s vehicle and alerted to the possible presence of an illegal substance inside the vehicle, per the CCPD press release. A search of the vehicle revealed several pieces of drug paraphernalia.

Gibson was transferred to Lee County Jail.