Car thief caught red handed, beaten by residents, surrenders to cops in trench

A car thief was caught red handed on Saturday evening by residents of Garnett Street, Campbellville trying to hotwire a car but was given a sound trashing before he made good his escape, jumped into a trench, and eventually surrendered to police ranks who surrounded him.

Kaieteur News understands that the thief was caught attempting to steal a parked Prado SUV just after 19:00hrs which belongs to one of the residents, Valderie Hackette. According to information received, the woman’s SUV was parked on a dam close to her home when neighbours saw someone entering the car.

At first, they taught it was her nephew but then noticed the individual acting quite strangely. Residents noticed that the brake lights were flickering for a short while before the dome light was switched on. It was then that the residents got a clear view of the person’s movements within the vehicle.

Realizing that it was a car thief, they began shouting, “Thief! Thief!” to raise an alarm. Within minutes, the SUV was surrounded by the public-spirited citizens. The man tried one last time to hot wire the car in his bid to escape but failed. He was left with no other choice but to exit the SUV and attempt to run.

This plan did not work either; he was caught and given a sound beating. In the midst of the trashing, the thief managed to free himself and ran towards Duncan Street. The residents, however, gave chase and soon caught up with him again. To avoid another beating, he plunged into a trench to take refuge. The police were contacted and residents stood guard to ensure he did not escape.

Ranks from the Prashad Nagar Police Station arrived promptly to make the arrest but the thief resisted them as well. One of the ranks resorted to firing a shot in the air, which scared the thief. He surrendered immediately and was whisked off to the police station. Kaieteur News understands that investigators later swabbed the SUV for the thief’s fingerprints. (Kaieteur News)