Woman uses discrete TikTok hand signal to tell cashier she's been 'kidnapped'

A woman used a hand signal popularized on TikTok to indicate she needed help after being threatened by her ex-boyfriend.

According to a report from The Tennessean, the woman was visiting her brother when her ex-boyfriend, 31-year-old Johnathon Smith showed up. After getting into Smith's vehicle, the two began traveling down the highway and got into a 'physical altercation' inside the car.

Hickman County Sheriff, Lt. Mike Doddo recalled that “the girlfriend then asked to be let out, [Smith] said, ‘No,’ then threatened to kill her by grabbing a screwdriver and telling her, if he couldn’t have her, nobody could have her.”

Smith drove recklessly before stopping at Twice Daily gas station at Highways 100 and 46.

When the two went inside, the woman used a hand signal she learned from TikTok to notify the cashier she was in distress: palm out, thumb tucks into palm, then fingers curl over thumb.

The signal was created by the Canadian Woman's Foundation.

The violence at home signal was created by the Canadian Women's Foundation to help others recognize distress and intervene Canadian Women's Foundation

The cashier repeated the gesture back indicating they understood and staff called 911.

Sign up for our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Doddo said while checking out, the cashier attempted to stall by saying something was wrong with the register but Smith caught on and left with the ex-girlfriend.

Police arrived and a 10-15 minute car chase ensued with speeds up to 90 mph. Ultimately Smith crashed his truck into a creek where an on-foot chase took place.

The woman was not hurt and Smith was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault.

With knowledge of the hang signal, the woman and cashier were able to potentially save the woman's life, thanks to videos made on the popular social media app.

Similar incidents have occurred regarding the hand signal. In November, a missing 16-year-old girl used the signal while in the back of a 61-year-old man's truck. Passersby recognized the signal and called 911 who realized the girl had been missing and the man had pornographic images of a child on his phone.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.