A man recently freed from prison in Alabama is accused of abducting a woman whose dramatic escape from her car trunk was captured on video.

Birmingham police announced Wednesday night that 28-year-old Manuel Ali Towns has been charged with kidnapping and robbery in the abduction of 25-year-old Brittany Diggs earlier this month. Towns was detained Tuesday.

The ordeal -- which lasted for hours -- began outside Diggs' apartment in Birmingham's Avondale neighborhood, according to Al.com.

When the woman arrived home, the suspect pointed a gun at her and demanded money, Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton told the website. When she said she didn't have any, he forced her into her car -- a black Nissan Altima -- and drove off.

Diggs escaped by opening an interior trunk latch. Surveillance cameras at a gas station convenience store captured images of her tumbling from the trunk.

Al.com reported that records show Towns was freed from prison in January after serving more than five years for marijuana possession. His record includes robbery arrests dating back more than a decade.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.