Attacker let women go after one victim says she turned to prayer

By Taryn Asher
Fox 2 News

DETROIT (WJBK) -- Two young women were kidnapped at gunpoint, robbed and one of them was raped, but then they were able to convince their attacker to let them go.  One victim attributes it to smart thinking and prayer.

"I thought I was dead.  We both thought we were dead.  We thought that was the end," said a 22-year-old woman.

It all started last Friday as she and her friend were leaving the Tiger Liquor Store at Puritan and Meyers on Detroit's west side.  A man pulled out a gun and pointed it at their car window.

"We basically did what he said, gave him everything we had.  He counted the money, said it wasn't enough, and he said, 'Which one of you [is] going to get shot?'"

Fearing for their lives, they agreed to the man's demands.  She said he forced her friend to drive to an abandoned building at Ward and McNichols.  He then held a gun to one young woman's head while he sexually assaulted the other.

He then demanded their money, forcing them to drive to an ATM and give him whatever they had.

"That's all we kept saying, you can have the money, you can have everything.  Just let us live."

She only had two minutes to get the money out of the machine at grocery store before he threatened he would shoot her friend.  She grabbed what she could and was able to alert a worker to call police.  But by the time officers arrived, their attacker forced them to drive away.

With nothing to lose, this woman decided to try something else.  She started to pray and offering to get the man help if he let them go.

"We were just thinking smart and it was God.  It was only God.  All I could do is pray," she said.  "We could take you to church with us.  We'll talk to you.  We'll be your friend."

"He made us put our phone numbers in his phone and he asked us to take him to church."

Then something happened they never expected.  She explained her attacker started apologizing, eventually got out of the car and let them go.  They headed straight for the hospital and called police.  On their way, they got an unexpected phone call from the man.

"Texting and calling us.  He texted my friend first and asked was she okay and where were we going."

Detectives connected that phone number to 19-year-old Javontaw Fizer and traced it to his house on Manor.  There they found his gun, the cash and Fizer, who we're told confessed to police.

"I'm so glad that they got him as soon as they did.  Basically, we're just thankful to be alive."