Police: Chattanooga man with drill abducted woman and daughter

Chattanooga police arrested a man last week who allegedly abducted a woman and her daughter using an automatic hand drill as a weapon.

Cedric Williams, 44, was arrested on May 19 and charged with especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated burglary, simple assault and two counts of vandalism.

The victim said she was walking with her 1-year-old down the street on 13th Avenue on the evening of May 19 when she was approached by a man, according to the affidavit.

"He was acting as if he was high on narcotics," the affidavit said she told officers, adding that she had only seen the man one other time in the area.

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The man allegedly approached the woman and her child and began to aggressively speak to her. The woman told police she asked him to leave her alone and then walked away.

The man then allegedly stepped on the woman's foot, grabbed her arm and hit her in the face and neck with what appeared to be a gun, according to the affidavit.

The two began to struggle when the woman saw the man trying to get close to her child, the affidavit said. During the struggle, the woman said she heard him say that "he wanted the child."

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The woman said she was then dragged down the street by the neck and arm as the man repeatedly said he was going to kill her, according to the affidavit. The man allegedly dragged the woman into a home on the 2600 block of 13th Avenue, leaving her child outside.

The woman was able to escape from the man by running into the house, the affidavit said.

The man then walked down the block and entered a second home on the 2600 block of 12th Avenue, breaking down the door in the process, according to the affidavit. Once inside, the residents began throwing objects at the man, stopping him from entering further, the affidavit said.

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Police arrested Williams shortly after 7 p.m. without incident.

The weapon used to assault the woman, which she had thought was a gun, was an automatic hand drill, which was taken into evidence by officers.

According to the Hamilton County Criminal Court files, Williams has a criminal record dating back to 1997, with multiple charges of theft, burglary, criminal trespassing, joyriding and auto theft.

Williams is expected to appear before General Sessions Court Judge Christine M. Sell on May 27 for a preliminary hearing.

Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.

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