DETROIT – A Detroit man told federal investigators he was attacked with a screwdriver, forced from the driver’s seat of his van and then had to jump while it was moving to survive.
According to a federal criminal complaint, the victim feared he was going to “bleed out or go unconscious” as the van sped away. So, he made a split-second decision to open the door of the moving van, jump out, and roll across the pavement, the feds said.
FBI agents in Detroit said the suspect, Rymon Randall, 41, later crashed the van into a building on Livernois and was arrested.
Why the victim says he wouldn’t comply
A Special Agent with FBI Detroit’s Violent Crime Squad said the carjacking happened around 5 a.m. July 15, 2026. The victim said he was sitting in his 2002 Ford Econoline in the driveway of his Detroit home.
That’s when, the feds said, “a black male wearing dark clothing with a mask covering his face” walked up. The man was later identified as Randall.
The victim was told to move to the back of the van, or the attacker would “shoot and kill him,” the feds said.
But the victim didn’t comply. Why? The feds said the victim refused to get in the back of the van “due to his infirm knees” and tried instead to drive away down the driveway.
That’s when, investigators said, Randall escalated.
‘Jumped out and rolled’
Randall then allegedly pulled “a screwdriver from his pocket and began to strike” the victim, then “stabbed” him “in the head, neck, and upper torso,” causing “multiple puncture wounds” and knocking out a tooth.
Investigators said Randall then took control of the van and drove off “at a high rate of speed,” still ordering the victim into the back.
The victim, bleeding and fearing he might lose consciousness, made the leap from the moving vehicle, the complaint said. Then, the feds said, he “opened the door of the moving van, jumped out, and rolled across the pavement.”
The victim suffered more scrapes and wounds to his head, back, and legs, but eventually made it back home, the complaint said. He was later taken to Sinai Grace Hospital for treatment.
How police say they tracked the van
Around 6:20 a.m., Livonia police officers said they spotted the van being driven by Randall and ran the plate but lost sight of it before they could stop it.
A little after 7 a.m., the feds said license plate reader technology showed the van near W. Warren and Grand River. The van was then located at 7:35 a.m. as it continued east on E. Warren at Conner.
Then around 8:15 a.m., license plate readers picked it up again -- this time “further west” at E. Outer Drive and Mound, then again at W. 7 Mile and Woodward.
Police then saw it turn south onto Woodingham Drive from 7 Mile, and officers began mobile surveillance.
Traffic stop, crash and arrest
By about 9:30 a.m., police said they activated lights and sirens and tried to stop the van.
Randall then, according to the feds, “attempted to flee,” but lost control and crashed into a building on Livernois in Detroit. After the crash, officers said Randall tried to take off running, but police caught him after “a short foot pursuit.”
Police said Randall was wearing a black jacket, black shirt, black pants, and “a balaclava covering his head and lower face.” Investigators said that matched what the victim had described.
The lineup: what the victim said he recognized
Investigators said they showed the victim a lineup that included a Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) photo of Randall from a few years ago. In that older photo, the complaint said MDOC records listed Randall at 6’5” and 350 pounds, and investigators said he carried “significantly more body weight” in the prison photo than at the time of the carjacking.
In the lineup, the complaint says, the victim “failed to identify” Randall and instead picked a different man with “minimal confidence.” The victim allegedly said the attacker’s face covering “did not give him a good enough view of his face to make an accurate pick.”
But the feds said the victim was later shown a screenshot of Randall taken shortly after the arrest, and this time, the victim recognized the person based on body and clothing. The victim “immediately identified” the person in the image as the one who attacked him, the complaint said.
Why it’s a federal case
According to the feds, since the van was manufactured in Lorain, Ohio, Randall allegedly “took a motor vehicle, transported, shipped, or received in interstate commerce from the person or presence of another by force and violence or by intimidation and with intent to cause death or serious bodily harm.”
Court records show Randall is incarcerated in Jackson for another crime and is in custody of the MDOC. The court issued a writ ordering Randall to appear in federal court.
Randall is ordered to appear on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in downtown Detroit.