HAVERHILL — A Methuen woman who was visiting Haverhill took a wrong turn and ended up with a gun pointed at her, police said.
Deputy Chief Donald Thompson said the 20-year-old woman went to Haverhill to pick up a friend around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, but she took a wrong turn and ended up at the intersection of Swasey and Marshall streets.
While she was trying to get her bearings, a man wearing a dark sweatshirt, blue jeans and a baseball cap approached her car, police said. The man pulled out a handgun and demanded that she hand over her purse to him. The woman refused and the man tried to open the car door to grab the purse, police said.
The woman told police that as the man began to open the door, she put her foot on the accelerator and started to speed away. The man was dragged a short distance and then ran off, she said.
The woman immediately called the police, who searched the area and did not find the man.
Thompson said the woman was following directions on her cell phone and that she took a left turn instead of taking a right turn. She ended up at the end of Swasey Street, which is a dead end, and while she was turning around, she was approached by the man, Thompson said.
He said this area is not the most ideal section of the city to get lost in. The area is near Swasey Field in the Mount Washington neighborhood.
“We’ve had a number of problems there with drug activity and other crimes,” Thompson said, adding extra police patrols have been assigned to the area.
Thompson said the incident is under investigation and there are no suspects.
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