Police: Man tells Gwinnett dealer he’s God, steals BMW on test drive
In a test drive gone wrong, a man posing as a would-be buyer said he was God, kicked a dealership employee out a BMW and took off in the vehicle, Gwinnett County police said.
“Soon after the test drive began, the customer told the employee to get out of the vehicle because he was God and that he was going to kill him and his boss,” Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said Tuesday morning.
Police arrested Blaane Andrew Oteo, 33, minutes after the car was reported stolen at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The test drive began earlier that day at the Auto Star dealership at 4395 Buford Hwy. in unincorporated Norcross, Pihera said.
“The officers received a description of the vehicle and were told that the suspect was traveling south on Buford Highway toward Doraville,” she said. “As an officer was preparing to turn right onto Buford Highway southbound from Jones Mill Road, he saw the vehicle pass.”
The officer activated his blue lights and positioned his car in front of the vehicle to prevent the suspect from speeding off, Pihera said.
The suspect struck the officer’s car on the driver’s side, and the officer told him to get out the car, she said.
“After the suspect refused to comply with the officer’s commands,” Pihera said, “he was Tased and taken into custody.”
Oteo was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center in Duluth, where hospital workers told officers Oteo had ecstasy in his pocket and was believed to be under the influence of marijuana, Pihera said.
Oteo was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and charged with robbery, driving under the influence and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, among other offenses.
