Dodge Charger Theft Victim Shot, Dragged

Your car definitely isn’t worth your life!

It’s understandable why anyone would try to prevent the theft of their car, especially one they really love. However, there’s a risk in trying to stop a theft in progress, an unfortunate fact a man in Graham, North Carolina found out the hard way. As the victim tried to stop a suspect from taking his 2015 Dodge Charger, the owner was shot and dragged by his own car as the thief drove away.

Learn how a Tennessee road rage incident turned deadly here.

Fortunately, Graham Police say the victim didn’t sustain life-threatening injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital. The incident in question went down at about 7:30 pm at a convenience store. Many people think thieves strike only in the middle of the night and when nobody is around to observe them. Sadly, that’s not always the case.

Plenty of thieves will try to steal your ride out from under your nose while you’re in a store. While we don’t know the details here, it’s not uncommon for them to use a device to capture your car fob’s signal, allowing them to get in and start the vehicle as if they stole your keys. Others are so practiced at breaking in an reprogramming the ignition they can do that in a few minutes or less.

Before you go rushing to stop someone from stealing your ride, it’s always best to assume they have a gun and are willing to use it. These thieves know they’re taking a risk and so they bring along something to ensure they win a fist fight in case the owner intervenes. It’s a sad reality but one we all have to keep in mind.

One thing everyone can do is to use devices which make stealing their car more difficult. These can include putting their keys in a Faraday cage after locking up, using a steering wheel lock, or installing a kill switch. While these can be overcome, they make your vehicle less attractive to a thief looking for a quick score.

Graham Police are looking for the suspect and are asking the public for any information they might have. The white Dodge Charger had South Carolina plates KPR828.

Photos via Graham Police Department