Texas college track athlete accused of stabbing woman with screwdriver, kidnapping child

SAN ANTONIO — A track athlete at a south Texas university is accused of stabbing a woman with a screwdriver and kidnapping the victim’s 3-year-old son, authorities said.

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Myrajah Deshjonae Rankin, 19, of Round Rock, Texas, was arrested on Thursday and charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Bexar County online court records.

Rankin is a freshman sprinter for the the University of the Incarnate Word women’s track team, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

According to the university’s website, the private school is the largest Catholic university in Texas. Rankin signed with the school in March 2022.

The incident happened at about 2 p.m. CST on Thursday at an apartment complex, KSAT-TV reported. A woman told police that she noticed a stranger, later identified as Rankin, with her child, according to the television station.

Police said that after the woman told Rankin to leave her child alone and attempted to pull him away, the suspect stabbed the victim with a screwdriver, KENS-TV reported. Police said that Rankin allegedly stabbed the victim twice in the forearm, causing the victim to lose her grip, the Express-News reported.

According to an arrest affidavit, Rankin allegedly ran away with the boy. A nearby man “heard the commotion” and was able to grab the child from Rankin, the newspaper reported. Rankin then allegedly hid inside an apartment closet, where she was discovered by police, according to the Express-News.

Omar Ortega told KSAT that Rankin ran into his apartment through a sliding door. His wife and mother-in-law were inside at the time.

“My wife’s like, ‘What are you doing here? This isn’t your apartment! Leave!’ Ortega told KENS. “Then (Rankin) said, ‘Shhh!’”

Ortega told the television station that Rankin allegedly stole crosses from their kitchen, along with a pair of scissors before hiding in the closet. His wife, niece and mother-in-law called 911 before running outside.

Rankin was arrested without incident, the Express-News reported.

In a statement, the university said it “is aware of an off-campus incident involving student-athlete Myrajah Rankin. As this is an ongoing San Antonio Police Department investigation, the university will have no further comment at this time.”

Rankin’s bail was set at $150,000, online records show.