Abbeville police searching for suspect involved in kidnapping

Abbeville Police are currently looking for a suspect involved in an alleged kidnapping that took place Saturday.
The incident occurred on South Guegnon Street Saturday around 5:40 p.m., when police said a black male suspect on foot approached another man near his vehicle.
“According to witnesses, the victim was approached by a black male with a large gun,” Abbeville Det. Leland Laseter said. “The suspect ordered the male victim to get in his (the victim’s) truck.”
Witnesses told police that the suspect ordered the victim to drive to Lafayette.
“At 6:30 p.m., Abbeville Police Department was notified that the victim made contact with his family,” Laseter said. “He told them that he was OK and was heading back to Abbeville.”
Police received an official statement from the victim. From that statement, police connected the suspect to an abandoned vehicle in a field near Greene Avenue and South Bailey Street.
“Officers responded at 5:20 p.m. to a call of shots fired in that area,” Laseter explained. “Bystanders told them that after the shots were fired, a car fled. There is a barricade at the dead end on Bailey Street. The car apparently went around the barricade.
“When officers located the vehicle, it was stuck in the mud.”
While investigating that case, at 5:40 p.m. officers received the kidnapping call at the 800 block of South Guegnon, about two blocks away from Greene Avenue and Bailey Street.
“After speaking with the victim,” Laseter said, “we discovered that the occupant of the car that was found abandoned had been shot at. The suspect told the victim that he got his car stuck and needed to get away from here (Abbeville).”
Police received calls of man carrying a gun running between the area of Greene Avenue and Bailey Street heading to the Guegnon Street area.
Laseter said there is surveillance video of the suspect taken from a convenience store in Vermilion Parish. The suspect is not believed to be from the parish.
“We are working with Lafayette police to try to identify the suspect,” Laseter said.