Micheal Ransom’s carjacking catastrophe in West Jackson left him furious not just with the life-threatening action, but also with the police. Ransom, a former employee of the Shell gas station on Highway 80, where his car was stolen, recalled that he had to deal with Jackson police for a long time to get his car and possessions back.
He told WBLT, “I don’t know if I need to go and get my license replaced, buy a new phone, get a new social security card. I don’t know none of that.”
He said he has had to reimburse the expenses for a crime he did not commit to reclaim what he owns. He recounted that as he was taking a smoke break outside the business, he saw two guys walking toward him. One of the men pulled out a gun and demanded the keys to Ransom’s 2004 Nissan Armada.
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Ransom recounted, “He had his accomplice to run up on me, and I had no other choice but to surrender.”
Ransom contacted authorities following the incident but has only received a bill from the Jackson Police Department, he said.
“I had to go downtown and pay the impound fee. I’m like, ‘You guys tow my car, I have to go downtown and pay the impound fee, and have to come back out here and get my car?’ That makes no sense. I still have no idea where my phone is. I know it last pinged at the evidence garage downtown. I have no idea what JPD has from my vehicle or what the criminals have.”
Ransom received his car back after paying over $150, but he hasn’t received his wallet or ID yet. When WLBT 3 On Your Side contacted Jackson police deputy chief Sequerna Banks, she revealed that regardless of the situation, anyone having a car in the impound lot is required to pay all storage and towing costs. But she added that sometimes the department waives those costs depending on the circumstances.
Carjackings are up in the U.S. and while victims have to go through difficult moments to recover from the shock of such incidents, they also have to go through expensive processes to get their vehicles and belongings back. Such is the case of Ransom as authorities continue to investigate the July 25 incident.
