A nurse has recalled the horrifying moment she was carjacked at gunpoint by a child while driving for DoorDash.
Deon Smith from Richmond in Virginia had been delivering for the app in the early hours of November 30 when she was approached by a child and a teenager.
The 40-year-old nurse recalled how she suddenly realised that the younger child, who said she was 11 years old, was pointing a gun at her.
Smith told WTVR: "When I was going inside I saw two kids outside. The little one approached me. I was thinking he was asking for money or something but little did I know he was pointing a gun at me asking for my keys."
Advert
Smith attempted to de-escalate the situation, but her attempts proved unsuccessful.
Describing the situation as it unfolded, she said: "When he told me that he was going to shoot me I was like, 'Are you serious? You want to kill somebody at your age'.
"I was asking where is your mom and why are you out here this time of night."
But the teenager then proceeded to open the car door, and Smith ran while making the DoorDash delivery.
Smith recalled that he had yelled at the 11-year-old to get into the car.
Advert
She said: "He was telling me to get in the car, but I refused to and so they got in the car and left."
One hour after calling the police, Smith discovered that her car had been crashed.
She said: "I had just finished paying for my car in September. In two months it was taken away from me and totalled."
The 11-year-old and the teenager were both taken into custody after the crash, Smith confirmed.
Advert
A spokesperson for Richmond Police said in a written statement: "The suspects fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle which was later located in Henrico County, crashed in a rural area.
"The two juvenile suspects inside the vehicle at the time of the crash were transported to local hospitals. They were released without any significant injuries and charged with robbery."
Smith's friends have now organised a GoFundMe to support Smith and her 10-year-old daughter, as losing her car has made it more difficult to work in her regular job as a home health care nurse.
Advert
Smith said that she was thankful to have survived the ordeal and made it back home to her daughter.
She said: "Just pray and ask God to protect at all costs, just to keep life, because a car can be replaced, but you cannot be."
Topics: News, US News, Crime, Gun Crime