Man accused of kidnapping girlfriend outside Miami gas station after food order dispute

A 31-year-old man is facing a kidnapping charge after police said he forced his girlfriend into a SUV outside a Miami gas station and drove off last month. The incident allegedly stemmed from a declined food order.

According to an arrest report, Miami police officers responded to a call around 2 p.m. on March 18 at the Westar gas station, located at 3201 NW 36th St.

A witness said they saw a man, who police identified as 31-year-old Herbert Lamar McCrea, of Miami Gardens, grab the woman, push her into a red Cadillac SUV, and drive away westbound on Northwest 36th Street.

The witness managed to capture a photograph of the SUV’s license plate, which investigators said they later used to track McCrea down.

Detectives said they also reviewed surveillance video from the gas station, which provided further details about the incident.

They said the video showed McCrea arriving at the gas station just after 1:30 p.m. and parking at one of the pumps.

Moments later, police said he left the vehicle and entered the store, selecting a few items before waiting at the cash register.

Meanwhile, the victim, who had been outside pumping gas, later walked into the store and headed toward the back, where a small restaurant was located, the report stated.

Shortly after, police said McCrea was seen walking toward the back of the store to join the woman.

Police said the victim left the gas station just before 2 p.m. and stood near the front door when McCrea began yelling at her.

Surveillance footage showed McCrea charging toward the woman, grabbing her by force, and dragging her back to the red Cadillac, according to the report.

Investigators said he then pushed her into the front passenger seat before getting in himself. After initially sitting in the passenger seat, they said he climbed over into the driver’s seat and sped off.

Hours later, at approximately 7:15 p.m., authorities said BSO’s V.I.P.E.R. (Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response) unit located the SUV parked near the 400 block of Northwest 87th Lane in Plantation.

Police said the victim was later interviewed by detectives and gave her account of what had happened.

She told police that the argument between her and McCrea began after a declined transaction for food at the gas station, according to authorities.

After the transaction was declined, police said McCrea pulled her by the arm, shoved her into the vehicle, and drove away.

She also stated that McCrea escalated the situation because he wanted to drive the car, but she did not want him to, police said.

The victim was later shown a photo lineup and positively identified McCrea as the suspect, according to the report.

Detectives said they located McCrea on Thursday and took him into custody. He was transported to a police station for questioning, where he was read his Miranda Rights.

Investigators said McCrea agreed to speak with them and admitted to a verbal altercation with his girlfriend, but the details of his confession were redacted from the publicly released report.

Jail records show McCrae is facing one count of kidnapping.

As of Friday, he is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond is listed as “to be set.”