CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — "Thank god this young lady is safe." That is what University of Virginia Police Chief Tim Longo had to say following a man being arrested for allegedly trying to abduct a student.
Charlottesville Police say they were first called to reports of "disorder in the area" on Cabell Avenue at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.
"...we received a call regarding a disorder in the area of the 800 block of cable Campbell Avenue. The disorder this disorder resulted in multiple vehicles and trees being struck by a suspect vehicle," Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis said in a press conference Thursday.
There police say they found the student who has not been identified yet. "...a female victim who had reported that an unknown male had strangled and abducted her. The victim was treated at UVA at the VA Medical Center," Kochis added.
Then Charlottesville Police say they were able to identify their suspect as James Robert Allen of Suffolk, Virginia. He was then arrested in Louisa County at 12:11 p.m. Thursday.
"She's a very strong woman," Chief Michael Kochis said about the victim adding that she was able to fight her way free from her abductor.
Police do not believe the suspect and victim knew each other.
Partners from Virginia State Police, United States Marshal Service, the FBI, the Albermarle County Police Department, the Green County Sheriff's Office, the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the United States Attorney's Office, and the Commonwealth attorney's office were called to provide additional resources for the search.
"Without that cooperation, this whole community approach to take his violent individual into custody, it wouldn't have happened in our communities a little safer today because of this," Chief Kochis stated thanking the departments for their assistance.
Chief Kochi thanked the media and the community for their response to the incident, "I want to thank our community, that Facebook post of that wanted individual was shared 1870 times in a matter of a few hours." Chief Kochi added, "Thank you, thank you for being part of this and not just standing by. you shared the post you called us. We received numerous sightings of this individual which ultimately led us to apprehending them."
When asked what his message for the community would be following this case Chief Tim Longo with UVA stated, "My message to the students is continue to be resilient." He would add, "It is a safe place, you know, but it's also an evil world."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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