Police Arrest One Suspect for Assault at Columbia Mall

A Columbia man is behind bars following a domestic assault in the parking lot of the Columbia Mall Sunday morning. Columbia Police were dispatched to the scene at approximately 7am Sunday for a report of a man assaulting a woman in the parking lot. Further investigation revealed that the man had attempted to run over the woman with a vehicle. He continued the assault by grabbing her by the hair and dragging her into the vehicle. Officers found the suspect’s vehicle shortly after 2pm Sunday following a report of a verbal altercation in the 2000 block of Gus Court. Upon arrival to the scene, they located 34-year-old Joseph Jones and found that he had assaulted the woman in the Columbia Mall parking lot earlier in the day. Jones was arrested for first degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, and second degree kidnapping. He is currently being held in the Boone County Jail. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Columbia Police Department at 573-874-7652 or CrimeStoppers at 573-875-8477 to remain anonymous.