Would-Be Car Thieves Thwarted By Stick Shift
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A Colorado Springs man says after three men threw him out of his car and assaulted him, they weren't able to make a getaway because they didn't know how to drive a stick shift. It happened around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on Jet Wing Drive in Colorado Springs.
Tyrell Torres said he had just got home from a funeral and was sitting in his car when three guys wearing bandannas came up to him. Next thing he knew, he was being yanked out of the vehicle. The incident was caught on surveillance cameras.
"One suspect followed me all the way up to my doorstep, came up gave me a sucker punch right there at my door, and then ran off while I ran to the door to let my folks know," Torres said.
The sucker punch didn't scare away Torres. Instead, he followed that suspect and noticed one of his accomplices trying to steal his car.
"He is trying to put it in gear, but he's not pressing the clutch enough. So, he's grinding my gears and he's pressing the gas and the E brake's up. So, he's not going nowhere," Torres said.
He believes they didn't drive off because they couldn't drive a manual transmission. Torres says he then demanded they get out of his car and that's when the alleged criminals grabbed his phone and a bag filled with tools before they left.
"What they did wasn't right, and I hope they don't do it to someone else. And I mean it was just me, I did not have anything on me or anything like that. But if they did it to somebody else, they could've got hurt, pretty hurt," Torres said.
Police found one of the suspects who is a teenager. Torres says he got his phone back, and he's hoping police can find his tools too. Torres did have some minor injuries.
Dominic Garcia anchors CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. Connect with the Denver native on Twitter @cbs4dom & on Facebook.