A pair of men were allegedly motivated to kidnap four Pennsylvania women and hold them captive in a shipping container in an effort to "silence" them after they witnessed a suspected shooting, said authorities.
Davaun Jackson, 28, has been accused of kidnapping, rape, strangulation, and a slew of other charges, in connection with the incident, according to Pennsylvania State Police, WBRE-TV, WHP-TV and WCAU-TV reported. Isaiah Rogers-Keeney, 19, was arrested as an accomplice.
"It did spiral from a shooting incident in Wilkes Barre allegedly witnessed by one or more of the victims. And then there was some effort then to silence them, maybe some fear that they may implicate persons involved in the shooting," Monroe County District Attorney Mike Mancuso said, noting it was a "miracle no one was killed," according to WBRE.
On Monday, Jackson and Rogers-Keeney allegedly forced the women into a vehicle, robbed them of their phones and locked them in a shipping container on Jackson's property in Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania, after they witnessed an alleged crime.
The victims were allegedly stripped of their clothing and bound inside the shipping container. Jackson allegedly threatened to kill the women with a chainsaw.
The suspects were arrested Tuesday night at an area Walmart, and the victims were subsequently freed.
Authorities have not disclosed the women's identities.
