Victim Relates Story Of Scary Canoga Park Carjacking Caught On Tape
CANOGA PARK (CBSLA.com) — The manhunt continued on Saturday evening for a brazen carjacker who struck in Canoga Park earlier in the day.
The crime was caught on tape by surveillance video at a Chevron gas station located at Vanowen Street and Fallbrook Avenue.
KCAL9's Erica Nochlin spoke to the victim.
"It's kind of a realization that -- oh my gosh this guy could hurt me, this guy could do something horrible to me," said Noel Perry.
She told Nochlin the day started routinely. It was her turn to get gas while her brother was across the street grabbing coffee.
Perry she noticed that a man started staring at her.
"He was looking at me really intently, put me a little on guard," she said.
He didn't stop at just staring.
The man, about 5 feet 8 inches and 200 pounds, closed the car's passenger side door and walked around to the front of the vehicle.
He has a bag behind his back, but Perry says you don't see that the man was also holding a knife in his other hand.
"He had the knife right around here, it was about three or four inches. He came towards me with it, had it low and said 'move.'"
She ran into the Foodmart.
"I started screaming, 'I've been carjacked' and everyone ran out and watched him drive away with my car and my purse," she said.
Perry said she immediately got a feeling of helplessness.
She decided to take back control and spread the word -- especially since she only has liability insurance and needs her car for work.
Perry is hoping someone spots her grey, 2001 Toyota Camry (License plate # 4KBA401).
She also wants to warn the public.
"People need to be on guard and not let something like this take them by surprise," she said. "8 a.m. on a Saturday morning in the suburbs you wouldn't think this could happen. But it can."
Perry did get her purse back. A Good Samaritan witnessed the suspect throw it out the window after driving off. He picked it up, tracked her down via social media and returned it.
