ISLE OF WIGHT Co., Va. - 34-year-old Shakeila Evans of Smithfield is behind bars facing charges that include abduction, destruction of property and assault and battery.
The incident that led to her arrest started at the A&H Food Mart in Smithfield on Wednesday afternoon.
"It was I guess between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.," said the property's owner, Donald Davis. "Basically when I pulled up, I saw about five police cars."
According to court documents, a man was out front of the store on his phone when a woman, later identified as Evans, pulled up and demanded money.
When the man didn't comply, court documents allege Evans broke his phone in half and forced him into her vehicle.
Davis said security cameras at the food mart were able to pick up the interaction, and those videos were handed over to law enforcement. His family has owned the property on Scotts Factory Road for more than 30 years.
He said, "Nothing like that has really happened here, so that was a surprise and shock."
According to a criminal complaint obtained by News 3, Evans assaulted the victim and "grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him to the drivers side of her vehicle and then back to the passenger side of the vehicle." The victim claimed that his neck was scraped during the assault, but investigators didn't locate a red mark consistent to a scrape.
The criminal complaint went on to say that according to the victim, Evans said she was "going to the bank to get her money."
Records state she drove nearly 20 miles from Smithfield to Suffolk on multiple occasions, showing a handgun and saying, "This is what happens to people that don't pay."
"Anytime there is a firearm involved, it does cause concern," said Capt. Tommy Potter of the Isle of Wight County Sheriff's Office. "There are a number of avenues that one can pursue before we resort to these types of actions."
Court records said Evans drove to the Bank of America on Washington Street and demanded the man withdraw $1,000. Her husband reportedly followed them there in another vehicle and waited outside.
Capt. Potter said, "My understanding is that the victim notified bank personnel, and they contacted the Suffolk Police Department and they were able to intervene before any money was actually able to be withdrawn from the bank."
The victim is on disability after suffering a traumatic brain injury in his past, according to court documents.
"Oftentimes there are a lot of other individuals [at the A&H store and Bank of America], so not only was this individual dangerous, but the actions of these two individuals could have put a number of other people at risk that afternoon," Capt. Potter said.
Evans is currently being held without bond at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail. She's expected for a bond hearing on March 11.
News 3 reached out to her attorney for comment but did not hear back.
