Woman stunned as carjacker drives off
A woman’s trip to the mall ended with a carjacker bursting open her front door, reaching across the seatbelt and dragging her out, leaving her bruised and battered.
Police were called to reports of two carjackings in Christchurch on Monday last week. One man is in custody, while an alleged cooffender is on the run.
A 33-year-old woman, who declined to be named, was driving along Sisson Rd, behind Northlands Shopping Centre, on her way to do some banking about 3.45pm on Monday.
‘‘I saw a car stopped a few cars in front of me and saw a man walking on the road, it looked like he was looking for something,’’ the woman told The Press yesterday. ‘‘When he walked to my car, he opened my door, untied my seatbelt while telling me to get out of the car. Then he dragged me out of the car and drove my car away.
‘‘Everything happened too fast, I did not have time to react at all, I was stunned.’’
Confused and scared, the woman, whose phone was in the car, decided to walk to the nearest police station. Another motorist, who saw the incident, pulled over and asked if she was OK, and went with her to the police station. She was still shaking when she got there, with bruises on her body and scrapes on her left knee and ankle.
The stolen car was found about three minutes away. Everything was still in the car, including her wallet, phone and keys, with no obvious damage.
The woman was thankful to the people who helped her, including the passer-by and police.
‘‘Although I never expected this terrible experience ... I am impressed and grateful that people are always there to help. I also feel lucky the guy did not hit me before he pulled me out of the car.’’
A police spokeswoman said officers were called to an alleged carjacking at the intersection of Langdons Rd and Morrison Ave, in Northcote, Christchurch, about 3.50pm. She said two offenders allegedly assaulted the owner before stealing the vehicle and crashing it in Reynolds Ave, near
‘‘Everything happened too fast, I did not have time to react at all, I was stunned.’’
Carjacking victim
Blossomdale Place in Bishopdale, shortly afterwards.The two alleged offenders then ran from the scene before reportedly stealing another vehicle. Officers found the second stolen vehicle in Woodstock Rd, near the small North Canterbury town of Oxford. Police started chasing the car but lost sight of it.
It was found abandoned near the Waimakariri Gorge bridge.
Jared Robert Fuller, a 26-yearold labourer, appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday.
He is charged that with an alleged co-offender he robbed two people of their cars on November 18. He is also charged with unlawfully getting into a car, and driving while disqualified on the same day.