Suspect detained after SUV blocks railroad tracks in Rankin County

The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office said deputies detained Ronnie Percy Holmes, 22, of Florida, after a red Chevrolet SUV was driven onto railroad tracks near the Airgas facility and a motorist was allegedly targeted in an attempted carjacking.

At about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, 911 callers reported the SUV traveling south in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 49. Witnesses later reported that the driver took the vehicle onto the tracks, where it stopped and blocked them. Dispatchers contacted the railroad and helped stop an approaching freight train about 200 yards from the SUV.

After leaving the SUV, the suspect walked to Dixie Road and allegedly tried to enter a passing motorist’s vehicle. The motorist, a Rankin County resident who operates a firearms store and training facility in Flowood, held Holmes at gunpoint until deputies arrived and took him into custody without further incident.

Holmes was evaluated at the University of Mississippi Medical Center before being booked into the Rankin County Jail. He is expected to appear before Rankin County Court Judge David Morrow on charges of attempted carjacking and obstructing a railway. The Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and the FBI’s Jackson office were notified because of the railway obstruction.

Source: Rankin County Sheriff's Office – MS on Facebook.