BRADENTON, FLORIDA — A 43-year-old man, armed with a knife, attempted two carjackings that were just a few minutes apart at a beach parking lot. His first victim of choice was a woman who was outside of her vehicle. He approached her with his knife and told her to hand over her keys. She did, but not the keyring that contained the car key.
I’m not entirely sure what her plan was, because her doors were still unlocked and three children were in the back seat.
The woman handed Lewter a set of keys, but not with the vehicle key on the ring, according to the arrest affidavit. Lewter grabbed his belongings and entered the vehicle, which had the woman’s three young children in the backseat, police say.
Realizing that the car keys weren’t in his possession, and with the woman screaming for help, the suspect takes off on foot.
He runs a little further down the parking lot and finds a man sitting in his vehicle, and this becomes his second target. It’d prove to be his last.
The suspect pulled his knife on the man and announced a carjacking. The man got out of his vehicle and began fighting with the suspect, successfully overpowering him and holding him until police arrived.
Going up against a man with a knife is no joke, and can prove fatal in a hurry. This victim-turned-hero made the personal decision to fight instead of locking his doors and hitting the gas, and luckily it worked out.
I’ve been to this same beach a number of times, and while many people would be shocked to hear that something like this happened there, we know better. We know that violent acts can happen anywhere and everywhere, and that’s why we do what we do.
Remember to lock your doors, pay attention to the people around you, and know what you’ll do in different situations before they happen.
The suspect was out on bond at the time of the incident. He was arrested and charged with multiple felonies. He remains in custody without bond.
