Smart Driver Foils Carjacker With His Key Fob

At one point, there was a lock-unlock duel going on with the doors
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 2, 2017 12:59 PM CDT
Smart Driver Foils Carjacker With His Key Fob
File photo of a conventional key. The carjacker probably would have gotten away with it had one of these been involved.   (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)

Authorities say a quick-thinking driver thwarted a car-jacking by a jail inmate in South Carolina, reports the AP. Arrest warrants say Ezekiel Stevenson yanked a driver from his car during a hospital visit on May 13. But the driver kept his key fob, shutting the engine down before the car could leave the lot. (This is thanks to a "proximity key," explains Jalopnik.) That led to a standoff with the 18-year-old inmate, who kept trying to lock the doors. Each time, the driver used the fob to unlock them for officers.

Stephenson then managed to flee into the woods, dodging an officer's gunshot (no details are provided about why the officer opened fire), but he was found within the hour. He had been in the Darlington County Jail on a hit-and-run charge. Now he's back there facing escape, carjacking, and resisting arrest charges. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. (More weird crimes stories.)

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