A Jonesboro woman leaped to

safety from a moving vehicle after she was carjacked early Sunday morning

at the Wal-Mart at Fayette Pavilion, police said.

Pamela Davidson, 25, jumped

out of the vehicle while the suspect "floored" the accelerator

of her 1998 black Ford Explorer, said Lt. Tom Kirkbride of the Fayetteville

Police Department. The suspect, Miguel Sanchez-Vasquez of Forest Park,

was located after he wrecked the vehicle on Ga. Highway 85 north near

Corinth Road, Kirkbride said.

He will likely face charges

of kidnapping, robbery and motor vehicle theft, Kirkbride said.

Davidson was flown to Atlanta

Medical Center for treatment, Kirkbride said. She was released from the

hospital late Monday, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Sanchez-Vasquez was taken to

Southern Regional Hospital, where he was in critical condition Tuesday

morning.

Davidson told police the suspect

approached her from behind while she was clearing room in her vehicle

for a package she had purchased at the store. The suspect demanded money

and her keys, and she handed over the keys and her wallet, Kirkbride said.

The suspect then ordered her

into the car and he drove the car from the parking space, Kirkbride said.

A relative of Davidson's, who had been shopping with her, was still in

the store when the incident occurred around 1:40 a.m., Kirkbride said.

Although Davidson did not see

a weapon in the suspect's possession, his hand was inside the waistband

of his pants and under his shirt, creating the impression he was armed,

Kirkbride said.

Davidson jumped from the vehicle

in front of an entrance to the store, and when she did so the driver "floored"

the accelerator, Kirkbride said.

"She was afraid he was

going to come back and run over her," Kirkbride said.

A Fayetteville police officer

tried to follow the vehicle after seeing it strike the curb near the Starbucks

at the Pavillion, Kirkbride said. Once the officer turned around, the

vehicle was out of sight, but the officer turned north on Hwy. 85 in an

attempt to locate the vehicle, Kirkbride added.

At the time, the officer was

unaware of the carjacking, Kirkbride noted. The officer reported that

he thought the driver was possibly intoxicated, and after spotting the

vehicle "a significant distance away," he pursued it outside

the city limits without using his emergency lights or siren, Kirkbride

said.

The officer saw the vehicle

flip over several times near the intersection of Hwy. 85 and Corinth Road,

Kirkbride noted.

"The vehicle was traveling

away from him at a high rate of speed," Kirkbride said.

Sanchez-Vasquez is believed

to have been under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance

at the time of the wreck, said Maj. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County

Sheriff's Department. Charges will be filed if Sanchez-Vasquez's blood

sample confirms he was under the influence, Hannah said.

The vehicle was travelling

over 100 mph when the accident occurred, Hannah said. Sanchez-Vasquez

lost control of the car after running off the road, causing it to roll

over several times, Hannah said. He was ejected from the vehicle and was

not wearing a seatbelt, Hannah noted.

The Sheriff's Department is

investigating the accident because it occurred outside the Fayetteville

city limits.

The Fayetteville officer was

in the area conducting business checks but was unaware the vehicle was

involved in the carjacking until after he arrived at the accident scene,

Kirkbride said.

The officer was close enough

when the incident occurred at the Wal-Mart to hear the tires of the Explorer

squeal as the suspect drove away from the Wal-Mart parking lot, Kirkbride

said.

Fayetteville detectives are

following up leads on the case and have already attempted at least one

interview with Sanchez-Vasquez, Kirkbride confirmed.

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