Albany police respond to vehicle hijacking reports

ALBANY — The Albany Police Department responded to a reported carjacking incident that occurred early Monday, and are currently working off of conflicting reports given by the victim on the details of the alleged incident.

A police report narrative on the incident states that officers were called to the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Gaines Avenue at around 12:30 a.m. on Monday in reference to a motor vehicle theft. The victim, a 44-year-old man, said he was approached by a black male who got into his 1999 beige GMC Yukon asking for a ride, at which time the man put a gun to the victim’s head and demanded money, stating he would take his vehicle.

The victim further stated, the narrative says, that the man took all his belongings. The victim got out, and the suspect drive off with the vehicle last being seen traveling north on the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

When asked about the theft again, the victim told police he was approached by the man at John’s Liquor House on Cedar Avenue. The man asked for a ride and immediately put a gun to the victim’s head when he got in. The victim then said he left the location and arrived at 2034 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to get a soft drink as an attempt to calm the man down, and the suspect took the vehicle when he got out.

The victim later came back and said he picked the man up off of South Monroe Street and went to Cedar Avenue, and the man raised his gun as they were leaving. The officer reported in the narrative that the victim was inconsistent with his story, and that the victim said he had been drinking. The victim refused to provide a written statement because he was “shaken up,” the narrative said.

The victim described the suspect as a black male about 26 years of age. A tag number for the vehicle was not provided in the report. A lookout has been placed on the Yukon.