Good Samaritan chases Bradenton carjacker

Image 1 of 3

A criminal got more than he bargained for Friday morning when he carjacked a bartender in Bradenton but a Good Samaritan chased him down.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Nicholas Holloway, 26, approached an Tamara Petroff-Hall, an employee of the Banana Factory Bar and Grille, as she arrived at work. Deputies said Holloway told Petroff-Hall, 52, he had a gun and stole her car.

As this was going on Charlie Miller was among the patrons inside the restaurant.

"One of the barkeeps came running in through the door saying, 'my car's been stolen, my car's been stolen!'" he told FOX 13.

Miller ran out of the bar, into his 1989 Lincoln Town Car and gave chase onto 14th Street West. He said the carjacker rammed a few vehicles to make his way through traffic.

"From that point on, it was pure chaos. He was driving through the streets so erratic. We must have went over the median strips at least five times," Miller said. "How many times we turned around in traffic, weaved in and out, caused traffic to stop, it is a miracle that nobody else was hurt."

Miller said he followed Holloway through nearby neighborhoods during a chase that lasted at least 20 minutes.

He eventually trapped Holloway in someone's driveway.

"He gets out of his car, approaches me with his hand in his pocket like he has a gun," Miller said, adding he told Holloway to take his hand out of his pocket. "The minute he threw his hands up and I realized he didn't have anything, I charged him."

Miller held the carjacker down until deputies arrived and arrested him. He said Holloway was apologetic afterward and appeared to have learned his lesson.
"He seemed like he got the message for sure. He was saying, 'I've never done this before.' And he was genuinely sorry," Miller said.