A Tennessee woman who was allegedly kidnapped and threatened by her ex-boyfriend used a hand signal popularized on TikTok to alert a gas station clerk to her situation, leading to a high-speed police chase.
The chase resulted in the arrest of Johnathon Smith, 31, who was charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault, The Tennessean reported on Monday.
According to the report, the woman who was allegedly kidnapped was visiting her brother, and her ex-boyfriend Smith showed up. A sheriff’s office deputy then said the woman got into Smith’s truck and “got into a physical altercation” while driving.
“The girlfriend then asked to be let out. He said, ‘No,’” Lt. Mike Doddo said. “[Smith] then threatened to kill her by grabbing a screwdriver and telling her, if he couldn’t have her, nobody could have her.”
Smith and the woman reportedly pulled into a gas station and went inside. That’s when the woman flashed the clerk the sign that she was in trouble and needed help.
“While in the store, the woman put her palm forward and tucked her thumb in, and closed her four fingers over it, showing that gesture to a cashier, according to Doddo. The clerk repeated the gesture back and the woman nodded, yes, he said,” The Tennessean explained.
The New York Post wrote, “The hand signal, which has been made popular on TikTok, is used to alert others about the need for assistance during a domestic violence situation.”
After the clerk saw the woman’s plea for help, the staff called 911 and tried to delay Smith by acting like the cash register wasn’t working, but Smith caught on to the clerk’s trick and allegedly took the woman back to the truck before speeding off. A Hickman County Sheriff’s Office corporal pulled into the gas station as the truck was leaving and engaged in a pursuit that reached 90 miles per hour.
The chase lasted for nearly 15 minutes before Smith’s truck crashed into a creek. Smith then reportedly attempted to flee on foot before he was tased by the officer and taken into custody. The woman was not harmed, according to officials.
This isn’t the first time the hand signal popularized by TikTok has been used to alert others to a potentially dangerous situation. The Tennessean wrote that in November, a 16-year-old North Carolina girl who had been missing used the signal while in the backseat of a 61-year-old man’s car. That man was also arrested after a person in another car saw the girl’s plea for help and notified police.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation explained that the hand signal helps “a person silently show they need help and want someone to check in with them in a safe way.”
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