Carjacker Failed To Steal Mustang Because He Can’t Drive Stick Shift

A Seattle carjacker chose the wrong sports car to steal when he picked a Ford Mustang with a manual transmission last Thursday night.

According to ABC News, Seattle police say a woman was sitting in her vehicle in a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant parking lot when a male approached her and asked her for directions. Suddenly, the carjacker pointed a gun at the woman’s head and forced her out of her 1998 Ford Mustang. She fell to the ground but managed to escape into Wendy’s and call 911.

In the meantime, the carjacker apparently tried to get the car moving out of the parking lot but couldn’t figure it out because the car had a stick shift. Seattle Police Detective Patrick Michaud believes the carjacker ditched the car in the parking lot because he simply didn’t know how to drive it.

“He couldn’t get the car moving. He gets into the car, he grinds the gears for a little bit, gets it to roll a little bit, but realizes he’s not able to drive it away. Then he ditches the car.”

Police arrived on the scene, but the carjacker was long gone. The Ford Mustang remained in the parking lot. A witness described the would-be thief as a skinny black male in his late teens or early 20s. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, according to KIRO 7.

He may have attempted to leave with the sports car, but the carjacker may have actually fled the parking lot in a gold minivan.

It was unknown whether the victim of the carjacking was injured, according to the Seattle police.

It is not the first time a carjacker has attempted to steal a car but cannot because of the car’s manual transmission. In fact, some carjackers were caught by police because they were so focused on trying to figure out how to drive the car rather than trying to get away.

Some people claim their stick shifts are great anti-theft devices because not everyone can drive a vehicle with a manual transmission, but it makes great sense not to think of yourself or your car as invincible to a carjacker. Keep your doors locked at all times (even while you’re inside the vehicle), park the car in well-lit areas, and stay alert to what is going on around your vehicle at all times. The U.S. Department of State has some other great tips for avoiding carjackings here.