Pregnant woman chases down man who snatched rent money at Santa Clarita gas station

CANYON COUNTRY, Calif. (KABC) -- Janette Garlow, eight months pregnant, wasn't about to let a would-be robber make off with her rent money.

The Santa Clarita woman was counting out cash for a money order at a Canyon Country gas station Friday when a man who was standing in line reached around her and snatched the bills.

Garlow said she instinctively gave chase. Surveillance video from the gas station shows Garlow sprinting after the man, pursuing him out the door into the parking lot where a getaway car appeared to be waiting.

According to Garlow, the man tripped on a rug before he made it out of the gas station's entrance and briefly scuffled with her on the floor before they both got up and resumed the chase.

"He jumped in the car and was like, 'Go, go, go,'" Garlow said. "He had something planned."

Garlow said as she grabbed and held onto the door handle of the car as it began to move, she realized she couldn't put her baby at risk.

"You're eight months pregnant. You cannot be chasing someone," Garlow told herself. "It took me a second to kind of turn that fight or flight off and think about, like, 'Oh my gosh, my son. This can't happen right now.'"

Other than a few scrapes from the ground scuffle, Garlow said she's fine. The thief got away with only $40, but Garlow said that in the future she'll bring her husband to the gas station to purchase her money orders.

The sheriff's department is investigating the case.