Suspect arrested after doorbell camera video shows woman beaten and dragged away
Las Vegas — An arrest has been made after a suspected kidnapping was captured on a home surveillance camera. The chilling video shows a woman frantically running to a stranger's home for help.
When her attacker catches up, he's seen throwing her to the ground and kicking her. The struggle continues as the man drags the woman by her hair to a white car in the street.
The altercation was caught on a Las Vegas home security camera just before 2 a.m. on New Year's Day. No one was home at the time, but the homeowner saw the video remotely and sent it to the police.
"It was absolutely very important," said Captain Dennis O'Brien of the recording. "We had a name."
During the assault, the victim says her attacker's name, "Darnell." It was the clue detectives needed.
"There was a call at approximately 3:45 in the morning in another area command that matched the name and description that was similar to our suspect in nature," O'Brien said.
That caller reported a domestic dispute between a woman and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Darnell Rodgers. When police arrested the suspect, they learned the couple started fighting after a New Year's Eve party. The victim ran out of the car, leaving the couple's 1-month-old child in the back seat.
The woman in the video was found safe and Child Protective Services is now involved in the case. Rodgers is now in custody, facing kidnapping and domestic battery charges.
