Woman recalls experience being kidnapped by man at Galveston Co. gas station

KEMAH, Texas - "It was very scary," she said.

So scared, she says it was like it was happening to someone else. Let's take you back to the beginning. It was Saturday afternoon. She was at this Kemah gas station she was distracted talking on her cell phone, when a man approached her and demanded everything she had. 

"So when he tried to take my phone from me I jerk it back and I say ‘no'. He looks at me and says, 'I have a gun,' and that's when I notice he did have a gun. For emphasis, he fired a shot into the air.

He demanded she get in the car and drive off. Luckily, other people were paying attention, and some other customers who witnessed what was happening jumped in their cars. They followed them.

While she drove she talked to her kidnapper, he told her his wife had left him. She told him she was sorry about that. Then she asked an incredible question.

"I asked him, ‘Will you put the gun away?' We had a little bit of a conversation at this point and had calmed down a little bit because he was telling me how he feels. He says yeah I'll put it away and he takes out the magazine."

The Kemah police chief praises the witnesses and victim for their calmness.

"They followed her from a distance calling 9-1-1 with critical information, and we were able to have a positive outcome," said Chief Walter Gant.

The outcome was a swift arrest with nobody hurt.

Leon is currently in the Galveston County Jail.  As for Shasta, she says her feelings about her attacker are complicated. She insists she's not angry.

"I'm upset at the choices he made. You ruined your life. You definitely don't deserve to be in society," she said.

She said she also said she's definitely more aware since this happened and she's planning on getting her handgun license.