NATCHEZ — What started as a friendly gesture ended in a felony carjacking Sunday.

Natchez Police Sgt. Craig Godbold said a Natchez resident traveling in the 800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Street at approximately 4 a.m. Sunday was flagged-down by a man asking for a ride.

“(The driver) recognized him as a former classmate and offered him a ride,” Godbold said.

Once the driver stopped, two men entered his vehicle and requested a ride to a nearby service station.

Shortly after entering the vehicle, one of the men pulled a gun on the driver and told him they intended to rob him, Godbold said.

However, as the three men drove through the city, the driver was able to convince the men to let him drop them of at a department store on Sergeant S. Prentiss Drive so that they could rob someone else, Godbold said.

“When they got (to the store) the driver jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the store,” Godbold said.

His assailants left in his vehicle.

Godbold said the driver was able to identify Desmond Washington, 22, as the alleged gunman in the carjacking.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a second suspect in the incident, however police are not releasing his identity.

Washington is currently being held without bond.