GREENBRAE, Calif., May 1 (UPI) -- A hostage held at gunpoint in Greenbrae, Calif., by a man muttering conspiracy theories says she diffused the situation by showing him photos of her children.
Tina Marie Humphrey, 52, was the heroine in the arrest Monday of Jeffrey Griffin Boyce, 30, of Coos County, Ore., the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.
Boyce allegedly stole a car in Rohnert Park, Calif. and was wanted for questioning in a homicide in Oregon Sunday, police said.
The heavily armed Boyce was headed from Oregon to the Russian Consulate in San Francisco, with plans to take shelter from the U.S. government there, his mother said.
Humphrey was kidnapped at gunpoint by Boyce in a Greenbrae shopping center parking lot. Boyce entered her car, but Humphrey said she calmed him down with conversation until she told a passerby of the situation.
The passerby called police, Boyce left the car and fled, but was found in the yard of a nearby home, police said.
"I could tell that if I could keep him calm and connect with him, he probably wouldn't hurt me," Humphrey said, adding she showed him cellphone photos of her three children to engage him in conversation.
Boyce surrendered without incident and was jailed on counts, including attempted carjacking and false imprisonment, the newspaper said.
