Fla. Kidnapping Victim Recalls Police Pursuit

Oct. 30, 2013
A woman who survived a kidnapping, chase and her ex-boyfriend's threats to kill her spoke Wednesday.

The Florida woman who survived a kidnapping, police chase and her ex-boyfriend's threats to kill her spoke out about the incident and the couple's violent past on "Good Morning America" Wednesday.

"He wasn't asking me to get back with him," said 26-year-old Elizabeth Rae Hamilton. "He wanted me to spend the last moments of his life with him."

Brett Lee Curtis, 28, allegedly kidnapped Hamilton around 7:30 p.m. Monday from the Lakeland Square Mall, drove to Daytona Beach then lead police on a high-speed chase while threatening to kill her before killing himself Tuesday morning.

It is unclear what motivated Curtis to kidnap Hamilton, but she told "Good Morning America" that they were supposed to be in court for a domestic-violence injunction and that may have set him off.

When Hamilton didn't return from work her mother, Robin Hamilton, contacted police and they issued a statewide alert for Curtis and his vehicle, a white Nissan Altima, said Lakeland Police Department Sgt. Richard T. Rose, Jr.

A South Daytona Police officer spotted Curtis around 3:03 a.m. Tuesday and attempted to pull him over, but he refused forcing police and deputies to chase his vehicle southbound on Interstate 95.

At one point during the chase, Hamilton said Curtis looked at her and said "three hours ago this seemed to be a good idea."

In a chilling 911 call, Curtis warns authorities to back off, and Hamilton pleads for help.

"He says he gonna kill me if they keep following him," Hamilton cries to a dispatcher. Then Curtis cuts in: "You're risking this woman's life...You've got three officers ganging up on me right now and I have enough ammunition to kill her and myself."

During the chase Curtis allegedly shot at police, but no officers were injured, Rose said.

The chase ended in Brevard County after deputies used stop sticks to disable the car on I-95 in Mims around 4 a.m.

Hamilton said at that point Curtis started yelling at her to get out of the car and when she did he shot himself.

Copyright 2013 - Orlando Sentinel

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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