BELMONT, N.C. — The Belmont Police Department is looking for a suspect accused of stabbing his girlfriend and then holding her captive with her friend last weekend.
Belmont police say one of the victims arrived at a hospital Saturday morning after being stabbed.
Investigators learned that the woman was at a home on East Avenue when her boyfriend, Elijah Raheem Lurry, “entered the home and became enraged, accusing the victim of ignoring his calls while she was out.”
According to police, Lurry assaulted the victim and her friend, and he stabbed the victim during the fight. Lurry then forced both of them inside a room and “held them there for several hours.”
Police said the victims were able to escape and went to the hospital, and Lurry ran away from the home.
One neighbor told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon she was horrified. Neighbors have a sign posted in the area that warns drivers to slow down for children, and there were young people in the area at the time of the stabbing.
“It’s absolutely scary because everything is changing in the world and you never know what the neighbor is doing or what the neighbor is capable of,” Doug Mostella said. “So when you run into something like this, it’s an eye-opening thing.”
Mostella and his wife walk their dogs in the area. They remember seeing the woman who was wounded and held hostage.
“Shocking,” he said.
Police went to homes nearby asking for video from doorbell and security cameras.
Michael Chambers is a retired Gastonia Police Department detective who worked on homicides and violent crimes and took part in suspect searches like this. He spoke to Lemon by phone.
“He’s doing everything that he can to get away right now,” Chambers said.
He said Lurry knows he is serious trouble and that can make the search difficult for officers.
“A guy like that is not going to just say, ‘OK, here I am.’ You still have to use the tactical means to make sure that the officers are safe too,” Chambers said.
Belmont police said Lurry should be considered dangerous. If you spot him, you’re urged to call police immediately.
Lurry is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and more charges.
>> October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we want to share an important resource: The Safe Alliance Greater Charlotte Hope Line. Call 980-771-HOPE — it’s available 24 hours a day.
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