FAYETTEVILLE, Texas -- William Graeter was in his Chevy Suburban in Fayetteville about 6 a.m. on Monday when he found himself face-to-barrel with a gun.

“He said, ‘I don’t want to rob you. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will kill you,'” Graeter said of the early morning carjacking.

The carjacker, police said, was Patrick Bigelow, an escaped convict who had just busted out of the Fayette County jail in La Grange. The fleeing felon forced the 69-year-old Graeter to drive to Hempstead, where he was hog-tied and left in a house.

“He said (to) pull up to he house and ‘I’ll be back in 30 minutes,’” Graeter said.

When the homeowners returned, Graeter had them call the sheriff’s office and report the kidnapping.

“I still can’t believe it. I’m just lucky to be here,” said Graeter.

The carjacking, though, was just the beginning of Bigelow’s crime spree, said investigators.

He went on to rob two banks in Bryan. Hours later, a tip led police to a motel in Houston, where the escapee was found. Still not found is Bigelow’s mom, who police think helped him escape from the jail.