A woman who was saved during a car theft gone awry expressed gratitude to the armed citizen who came to her rescue, Smyrna police reported Monday.
Ashley Tate said she jumped on the hood of her Honda Accord when she saw someone try to drive off in it from a car wash Friday, according to a police report. She thought the move would halt the theft, but once on the hood, she realized she could not get off and thief ignored her screams to stop, said the report released Monday.
Another car wash patron pulled a pistol and also shouted several times for the thief to stop before firing a shot, which shattered the driver-side window and struck the thief’s shoulder, the report said.
Other witnesses backed up the victim's account. "They said she was screaming and the man in the car would not stop to let her off the hood," the report said.
The suspect is a juvenile from Atlanta and was charged with car theft and aggravated assault, Officer Christopher Graeff said.
