A Bessemer man is under arrest, accused of pistol-whipping a woman who was giving him a ride, stealing her car and then leading police on a chase through multiple cities.
Michael King, 30, is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, criminal mischief, attempting to elude, and unlawful possession of a pistol.
Alabaster police responded at 5:30 a.m. to a call for service at a closed gas station. The initial information indicated a car had been stolen from that location.
Det. Andrew Rowan said when officers arrived, hey found a woman who had been struck repeatedly in the head with a gun. She told police she had met King that night and was giving him a ride home when the assault took place.
She said King then took her car and left, heading northbound on Interstate 65.
Pelham officers then spotted the vehicle still northbound on I-65 and tried to stop the driver. Officers from Hoover and Vestavia Hills joined in the pursuit. Homewood police also assisted.
Rowan said King was finally taken into custody on Oxmoor Road in Birmingham.
King remains held without bond in the Shelby County Jail.
