A Woman Used TikTok's Hand Sign To Call For Help & Police Saved Her After A Wild Car Chase
"If you see something, say something."
Tennessee police rescued a woman from an alleged kidnapping and domestic violence situation on Sunday, and it's all thanks to a popular hand signal from TikTok.
The woman ran into a convenience store in Tennessee, mouthed the word "help," then gave the hand signal by crossing her thumb on her palm and then covering her thumb with the rest of her fingers, the Tennessean newspaper reports.
The gesture was invented by the Canadian Women's Foundation and popularized on TikTok.
A customer in the store recognized the sign and reported it, according to the Hickman County Sheriff's Office.
Police showed up at the scene just as a pickup truck was leaving the parking lot with the woman in the passenger's seat, reported ABC 4. Witnesses pointed police to the truck and it quickly turned into a full-blown, 10-15-minute car chase.
The chase ended with the pickup truck crashing into a creek, according to reports.
The driver tried to get away but police tased him and arrested him and the woman was rescued without injuries.
Johnathon Smith, 31, faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault in connection with the case, the Tennessean reports.
It's not the first time that the signal has led to someone's rescue.
The Canadian Women's Foundation invented the hand signal for help and spread it on TikTok, where they specifically promote it as a way to communicate when an abusive partner is right behind you.
@cdnwomenfdn #covid19 is making it difficult for people at risk of violence to safely reach out. Learn more: canadianwomen.org/signal-for-help/ #fyp#signalforhelp
Eric Streeval, one of the witnesses at the Tennessee convenience store, says it's important to know the signs when a woman is in a bad situation like the one he saw.
"If you see something, say something," Streeval told ABC 4 News.
"I credit the young lady in this situation with having the world's most courage of actually speaking out because who knows what would have happened."