KODAK, Tenn. (WATE) — Two people are in custody after Sevierville Police said two hitchhikers attempted to strangle a man with a rope and held him at knifepoint before stealing his car.

Sevierville Police responded to I-40 W at mile marker 408.8 on March 31 where the victim told investigators he was held at knifepoint and his car was stolen after he picked up two hitchhikers near Bryan Road in Kodak.

The victim said the hitchhikers, one man and woman, asked him to pull the car over so the woman could use the restroom. After coming to a stop on Lena Lane, the female hitchhiker in the backseat reportedly attempted to strangle him with a rope while the male pulled a knife on him from the passenger seat.

He told police he exited the vehicle while fighting off the male and ran towards I-40 to seek help. The suspects fled the scene in the victim’s car before police arrived.

The victim suffered a cut on his left hand during the altercation and investigators observed ligature marks on his neck from the rope. He was given medical treatment at the scene.

Krystal Burns, 24, and Joseph Ball, 40, were arrested in Blount County on April 1. The pair face charges of aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and property theft over $10,000.

Burns also faces charges of sale or possession of methamphetamine and evading arrest.