Man climbs into woman's car, holds a knife to her throat and demands a ride to Alabama

ATLANTA - It was a violent robbery outside The Home Depot in Atlanta. A woman said she was at home improvement store on Piedmont Road when a man got in her car, held a knife to her throat, and threatened her.

"He kept telling me he was going to kill me," said the woman, who didn't want her name used.

The woman said she had just put her shopping cart away, unlocked her car, and got in. She said at the same time the man, who was wearing a gray ski mask and carrying a 6-inch knife, slid into the passenger seat and shut the door.

"He took his left hand and put it on my wrist and held it very tightly and with his right hand came toward my neck with a knife," she said.

The woman said he seemed desperate and demanded she take him to Alabama, or at least to the bus stop. She offered him her purse, her car, even a ride. She just tried to talk to him.

"Every time he told me he was going to kill me I said you're not going to kill me, that's not going to help you one bit," she said.

She said the man sliced her finger and pushed the knife so hard into her upper torso, it went through her jacket and her blouse and cut her.

After about 10 minutes, the man grabbed the necklace she was wearing and got out of the car. The woman also jumped out and screamed for help.

The man slipped away before police or security arrived.

Police are still looking for him, they're going through surveillance video and investigators want the woman to take a look at a photo lineup.

The woman is grateful she's okay, and is warning others, if possible, to adjust their car locks so that when they hit the unlock button only the driver's side opens. She said if her car had been programmed that way, the man would not have been able to open the passenger side door.

The woman also advises others to carry some cash. She said at one point she gave the man some money she had in her wallet, and it seemed to deescalate things.

"It was very scary, I'm extremely thankful it could have totally gone a different way," she said.

WATCH: FOX 5 NEWS LIVE COVERAGE