By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Sanford man was carjacked after he met with two people who had agreed to buy an entertainment center. Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputies say they found the victim’s vehicle submerged in Little Crane Creek at Goodman Lake and Providence Church roads.

The man told investigators he agreed to meet a man at 8:45 p.m. Friday at Bojangles’ on Peeler Road to sell  the entertainment system. He said he couldn’t recall the person’s name. The man, who was described as a short, young white man, told the victim to meet him at the Rushco gas station near Newsome Road, said sheriff’s Capt. John Sifford.

After arriving at the gas station, the victim said the man told him to meet him at Autumn Care Nursing Home on Newsome Road. The victim was told to wait until the buyer arrived because the buyer had to pick up his girlfriend. The victim said the two men asked for a ride to the girlfriend’s house. According to the report, he told deputies he should not have given them ride, but he took them anyway.

The victim said he were supposed to drive to the house of a friend of one of the men to complete the purchase. Before they arrived at the house, they came upon a man standing in the middle of the road.

The victim said he got out of his Chevrolet Tahoe to open the lift gate when one of the men got into the driver’s seat and took off.

The victim jumped in the vehicle through the back and tried to get the driver to stop. Both suspects began hitting the victim, who tried to get out of the vehicle when the driver stopped. When the driver accelerated, the victim fell out of the vehicle.

The victim told investigators he went to a house in the 100 block of Courtney Lane to call 911. He was checked for injuries by Rowan County Emergency Medical Services crew and taken to the hospital for an X-ray.

A motorist found the SUV submerged in the creek about 8 a.m. Saturday. The man said he saw a white vehicle sticking in the water but couldn’t tell if anyone was inside. The Sheriff’s Office and Miller’s Ferry Fire Department were called to the scene, and a dive team determined that no one was in the vehicle.

The SUV was lifted out of the water, and investigators said someone had put clear tape over the door handles. A rock was found on the driver’s side floorboard. It’s believed the suspects used the rock on the accelerator.

Investigators returned to Courtney Lane to talk to neighbors. They also spoke to the wife of the victim. She confirmed that her husband sells entertainment systems that he bought from a warehouse in Charlotte. She said she didn’t know where he was.

Investigators said the victim was discharged from the hospital and later entered a treatment facility. Sifford said detectives will have do follow-up interviews with the victim.