Baltimore carjacking victim offers $10,000 reward for Mercedes taken at gunpoint
BALTIMORE - A carjacking victim is recounting the frightening moments when suspects took his SUV at gunpoint in West Baltimore, and he is offering a big reward.
"I've put a bounty out for the vehicle. It's $10,000 for any information leading to the location of the vehicle," he told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.
He declined to give his name or show his face for safety reasons.
His stolen vehicle is a black 2014 Mercedes ML63 AMG, a fairly rare high-end SUV. It was taken at gunpoint just before 9 p.m. last Tuesday as he parked at Mosher and Bentalou Streets in West Baltimore.
"It's frightening. You really don't have time for fear to set in. You react. That's all you can do," he said.
There have been 338 carjackings year-to-date, which is still down from this time last year.
He was parking where Mosher dead ends and saw three men in a beat-up red SUV driving toward him from a nearby alley.
One of them jumped out with a gun.
"Your whole life is just right there at that moment," he said.
He told Hellgren he feels lucky to be alive.
"He had the weapon pointed at me. He was holding it with both hands," the victim said.
He told us it upsets him that someone would take what he worked so hard to get. "It definitely makes you mad. It makes you want to arm up if that's what's necessary."
He told WJZ police license plate readers have hit on his Mercedes several times in the past week and hopes the big reward will get it back, but he said it is not worth it to fight back when a gun is pointed at you.
"There is no caution that you can take for this because when this type of thing happens, it happens in an instant," he said. "There's no time for heroics. The best reaction should be to comply so you can at least get away with your life."
He said as far as claiming the reward, you can contact police to verify the vehicle's location. He also has an email set up for tips: Dab1Dab2@outlook.com
There have been 29 carjackings in the past week alone in Baltimore, among a string of high-profile incidents.
Metro Crime Stoppers is offering an $8,000 reward for the person who killed Darrell Benner in Canton earlier this month after he ran outside with a BB gun to help his carjacked nephew.
"To the young kids who did this, turn yourselves in. Do the right thing. All we want is justice for my uncle. Everything else doesn't matter," his nephew Jeffrey Tyree told Hellgren last week. "Just turn yourselves in."
Last week, teenagers were arrested after shooting at police in Northeast Baltimore from a carjacked Jeep.
WJZ obtained exclusive video of the incident.
Police said two of the suspects had prior arrests for stealing cars.
