No good deed goes unpunished.
Car theft has become so rampant these days you even have to watch out for it while helping out with the aftermath of a car crash. That’s what one man learned the hard way in North Carolina after the guy he was trying to help jumped in his truck and took off, essentially carjacking a Good Samaritan. Keep this is mind the next time you’re stopped on the side of the road and people just keep driving by.
Learn what’s the latest target of thieves in cities.
According to McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, 26-year-old Mario Alberto Gonzalez crashed his car on I-40 near the border with Burke County. A man who witnessed the accident stopped his truck and started helping by “searching for additional persons involved” in the crash. That’s when Gonzalez saw an opportunity, stealing the Good Samaritan’s truck.
Marion police officers spotted the stolen truck not too long after the owner called to report it, and a chase started. Gonzalez pushed the stolen pickup to high speeds, crossing into Buncombe County before Black Mountain officers deployed Stop Sticks, bringing the whole ordeal to an end.
We wonder if the truck Gonzalez swiped has a keyless ignition system. Since we’re given no details of the make, model, or year, we don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise us to learn that it was. A lot of owners of newer vehicles just leave their key in the cupholder or somewhere else, some of them even when they’re not in the car, making them easy for anyone to steal.
As for Gonzalez, it became obvious why he didn’t want to wait at the scene of the crash for law enforcement to arrive. The guy had multiple outstanding felony warrants in both North and South Carolina. But his little stunt only added to his problems as he’s now facing a string of charges: felonious Flee/Elude Arrest with Motor Vehicle, felonious Possession of a Stolen Firearm, felonious Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, felonious Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Driving While License Revoked, Speeding and Failing to Maintain Lane Control. That’s what we call consequences to your actions.
Image via McDowell County Sheriff’s Office
