Police: Wilkinsburg Man Pretended To Be Jitney Driver To Kidnap Woman And Hold Her Hostage
WILKINSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - A Wilkinsburg man who was wanted for kidnapping a woman from outside a Homewood bar was taken into custody Friday afternoon.
According to the criminal complaint, 58-year-old Kevin King lured the victim from outside a bar by offering a ride, held her against her will inside his home, and threaten to hurt and kill her.
Police said this isn't the first time and that he has an MO of luring women from bars and holding them against their will.
KDKA captured exclusive video of Wilkinsburg police officers removing Kevin King from his house Friday afternoon. They put him in handcuffs and brought him into the police station.
The criminal complaint said late Thursday night, a woman was standing outside of a bar in Pittsburgh's Homewood section, looking for a jitney ride when King pulled up in a white car, asked her if she needed a ride and she got in thinking he was a jitney roving the bars looking for fares.
According to the complaint, King drove the victim to his home in Wilkinsburg, locked the doors and wouldn't let her leave. The complaint explains how King allegedly made numerous threats of violence and death. The victim told police he was verbally abusive and threatened her by saying things like, "he would blow her up and that he had a machete and would cut her in two if she didn't listen to him."
In the complaint, police go on to say that after several hours, King let the victim leave but he continued to threaten her as she ran. The paperwork said the victim knocked on doors until she saw some people on Biddle Avenue and asked them to call 911. Police rushed to Biddle Avenue to help the victim.
As KDKA was researching King, we found him listed on Pennsylvania Megan's Law Sex Offender website.
Police wrote in the complaint that they're extremely familiar with King for these type of offenses in the past and said he has a long history of preying on vulnerable women by offering them a ride, then holding them captive and physically or sexually assaulting them, sometimes with a weapon.
King is facing a slew of charges, including kidnapping, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, theft by unlawful taking, simple assault, false imprisonment and disorderly conduct.