SMYRNA, GA — A city worker who happened to be at the car wash during an attempted car jacking is begin hailed a hero today after stopping the suspect.
The incident happened Friday afternoon when a suspect got into a vehicle in an attempt to steal it. As he was taking off in the car, the car’s owner jumped on the hood in an attempt to stop him.
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In case you’re wondering; no, I would not have done the same thing. While I love my Jeep, it’s not worth my life to jump on the hood and take the chance of this guy flinging me off at a high rate of speed.
Anyway, back to the story. A good Samaritan saw what was happening and is caught on camera drawing his firearm and running toward the car. He fired a single shot at the suspect and struck him in the shoulder, stopping the theft and saving the car’s owner from serious injury.
Would you have intervened? If I had a clear picture of what was happening, I would have done the same thing. If a person wasn’t on the hood, however, I would likely dial 911 instead.
But wait… according to the article, the good Samaritan fired the shot while the woman was still on the hood:
The video shows the men inside a red minivan scoping out the parking lot and then the woman jumping onto the hood of her car as they tried to drive away with the Honda.
Seconds later, a gunshot stopped the getaway as the city worker shot the carjacker, and the Honda’s owner safely slid off the hood of the car.
Depending on the angle, how close the man was, etc, I’d have to be very comfortable to take a shot like that with the woman so close to the intended target. I am by no means saying that this good Samaritan did the wrong thing, and I certainly wasn’t there to assess the situation. I’m simply mentioning these things because they create a good debate, and they are things to always keep in mind when thinking about situations like this.
It’s an opportunity to think and learn.
