A quick-thinking South Fulton woman fended off a would-be car thief the only way she knew how — by dousing him with gasoline at the pump.
Gabrielle Halford stopped at a Texaco on Roosevelt Highway about 8 a.m. Thursday to fill up her Jeep on the way to work, Channel 2 Action News reported.
But as she pumped, she said she noticed her SUV rocking back and forth. That’s when she looked inside and realized a man was trying to steal her vehicle.
“I was just standing here watching the gas pump and all of a sudden I just felt some motion in my car, like it was swaying from side to side,” Halford said.
The man tried to start her car and take off, but Halford had an idea to deter him, she told the news station.
“I took the gas nozzle and I just started spraying him,” she said. “He eventually got out of my car and he left.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
She soaked the interior of her car with gasoline, but at least she still has a car. The would-be thief was in such a hurry to get away that he left one of his shoes, authorities said.
Police took the sneaker into evidence, but the would-be thief is still at large. The entire incident was captured on the gas station’s surveillance cameras.
A similar incident occurred earlier this summer in Rockdale County.
RELATED: Woman sprays gasoline on man who tried to steal her car at pump
The footage appears to show the man get into a black BMW SUV with another driver before taking off. Investigators say it’s possible that vehicle was stolen in a similar “slider” crime.
Halford said several people witnessed the encounter from their cars, but only one woman came to her aid.
Anyone with information is asked to contact South Fulton police.
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