Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 7, 1994                   TAG: 9410070032
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CRYSTAL CHAPPELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WOMAN REPORTS CARJACKING

Debra D. Arrington's car was found seven hours later by her husband in the same block where the incident had occurred, Roanoke Sgt. A.S. Smith said.

Arrington, 31, of Northwest Roanoke, had stopped at a traffic light at Forest Park Boulevard about 1:35 a.m. when a man wearing dark pants and a white sweat shirt approached her car, police said.

Arrington told police the man acted as if he had a gun and told her to "give it up," which she understood to be a demand for her car. Arrington said she pulled the car forward, but the man yelled for her to get out as he ran alongside her car. Arrington jumped out of the car and ran home, where she called the police. The man drove off in Arrington's car.

Police are investigating the apparent carjacking, but no arrests have been made.

Four carjackings have occurred in the Roanoke area this year, Smith said. Nationally, an estimated 177,500 carjackings or attempted carjackings occurred from 1987 to 1992, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Smith said motorists should always be conscious of their surroundings at stop lights. If a stranger approaches, especially on foot, drive away as fast as safely possible, even if the light is red, Smith said. Get to a well-lit area and report the incident to the police.

Though people may panic, drivers should realize they have the advantage of being more mobile than the walking person. If at all possible, stay in the car, Smith said.