A suspect tried to steal a woman's purse, then took her car and ended up smashing into multiple parked vehicles in her effort to get away as bystanders tried to stop her.
[Ads /]
The incident started around noon Friday when the 27-year-old female suspect approached a 75-year-old woman in the parking lot of an Agoura Hills shopping center, officials say.
She first tried to steal her purse, investigators say, but she then pulled the driver out of her vehicle, jumped in behind the wheel and put the car in reverse, flooring it as the victim screamed.
"The woman came up from behind her, and just grabbed her purse and knocked my mom to the ground," said the victim's daughter, who did not want to be identified. "Immediately, the woman then got into my mom's car."
She backed into one car and then as bystanders started screaming at her to "Get out of the car" she tried to accelerate away, but ended up smashing into first one vehicle and then another.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials later said the car was difficult for the suspect to maneuver because it was still equipped with a Club anti-theft device on the steering wheel.
"I look out the window and I see this car racing through the parking lot," said witness Fidel Rodriguez. "Hit a Tesla, then hits a Ford, then hits another car. And then people are trying to stop her. She wasn't stopping."
[Ads /]
Shoppers and other bystanders made repeated attempts to stop her while trying to avoid getting hit themselves, but the rampage continued.
"There were so many cars that got damaged," said Elbert Morales, a tow-truck driver. "They just came to the market to buy some groceries - and when you come out your car is banged up."
"My mom was laying on the ground right next to her own car as this woman was frantically trying to pull out," the victim's daughter said.
The car finally got stuck on a curb. The carjacker jumped out and tried to run away but some of the bystanders tackled her and tied her down until police arrived.
"Some of the people from Ralphs and the other spectators in the parking lot tackled her to the ground right here," said Rodriguez.
Joslyn Palmer said she and two others helped detain the suspect.
[Ads /]
"She steps on here, slipped and that's when myself and the other two gentlemen being interviewed got of top of her, tied her hands with a bandana, tied her shoes together and stayed on top of her until police came to get her."
The 27-year-old suspect was arrested and is expected to face charges that include carjacking and robbery. The Sheriff's Department is investigating whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident.
Both the suspect and the original driver of the vehicle were treated for minor injuries.
At least five cars were damaged in the incident.