HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (WTOC) – A man has been arrested following a kidnapping on Hilton Head Island.

Just after 11 pm Thursday night, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to Marsh Side apartments regarding an abduction.

Deputies learned 25-year-old Jairus Housey, who was armed with a handgun and wearing a ballistic vest, forced his way into an apartment and assaulted the mother of his child. They say Housey then left the apartment and drove off with his 10-month-old child in a Hyundai Sonata.

Deputies say they were able to make contact with Housey over the phone. They say Housey then told them he would kill the child, deputies, and himself if he was pursued.

Through the investigation, deputies were able to track Housey’s Hyundai he was driving in Jasper, Colleton and Hampton counties.

Law enforcement agencies in those jurisdictions located and pursued the Hyundai, but due to the dangerous speeds, for the child’s safety, pursuits were terminated.

An Amber Alert was then issued to the public.

Around 3:30 am on Friday morning, Housey’s Hyundai was located in the parking lot of Park Place apartments in Statesboro, Georgia.

The Statesboro Police Department and other Georgia law enforcement agencies made contact with Housey and were able to take him into custody.

The child was found unharmed in the Hyundai, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Also in the Hyundai, officials found a handgun and a ballistic vest.

Housey is being jailed in Georgia and will face extradition to Beaufort County for charges of domestic violence 2nd degree, felon in possession of a handgun, pointing and presenting a firearm and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Housey will likely face additional criminal charges, as he committed multiple offenses in other jurisdictions.

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