On October 8, a man who kidnapped a grandmother at knifepoint, forcing her to drive to a rural area, got a rude surprise when they arrived: the pistol-packin’ grandma, married with three children and 11 grandchildren, used her concealed carry firearm to send him fleeing.

According to police, at roughly noon on October 8, Floyd May, 61, of Moline, Illinois forced his way into Diane McIntire’s car behind the South Park Mall, struggling with her and cutting her arm with a knife, before he made her drive away, throwing away her cell phone in the process and asking her if she believed in God.

McIntire told WQAD, " "It was a large butcher knife, I did not even see it at first, that's how quickly he was in my space. I kicked him in his chest, pushed him back, I felt the knife cut right below my elbow.”

McIntire said that May grabbed an old shirt from the back of her truck and bound her arm with it. She added, "He apologized for the cut in my arm. He also said I know you can identify me. I know it's kidnapping."

McIntire recalled:

I knew I would live or die right there. He did tell me in the drive, if the police come up behind us, that we were both going to die that day. He got out of the truck and the butcher knife fell onto the ground and he got out to pick up the knife, I opened the console and grabbed my pistol. I went ahead and got out of the truck. I had the gun at his chest, and I told him do not come near me. I said if you come near me, I'm going to shoot you.

McIntire said she thought, “I have a family, I have a life. I want to live. I have grandchildren. My thought at that point was to live to see another day.” She concluded, “The grace of God is what saved me, and the sense to have calm, and have my weapon.”

McIntire needed 24 stitches to close the wound.

At 6:45 p.m. that same day officers were called to stop an argument between May and a family member who had called the police about threats May was making. Officers discovered May was the same man responsible for the carjacking.

May is charged with felon possession of an unlawful weapon and aggravated assault and use of a weapon.