A car thief was caught red-handed by the vehicle’s owner after getting stuck in a parking garage in Rockville, Maryland.
The incident took place on Friday when the would-be thief attempted to steal a 2016 Mercedes-Benz E350 out of an underground parking lot located beneath a high-rise office building.
The owner of the vehicle, David Loring, told The Washington Post he initially thought he forgot where the car was parked. It only occurred to him that the vehicle was stolen when he saw the suspect driving the Mercedes the wrong way toward an entry gate.
Loring told The Washington Post he remembered wondering why his car was driving the wrong way, and why a stranger was driving it before realizing the car was being stolen.
Fortunately, the driver was unable to exit the garage as the arm of an entry gate failed to lift.
Loring reportedly called out to the suspect, asking what he was doing with the 56-year-old’s car, to which the suspect replied "let me call my wife. This is her car," before getting out of the vehicle and walking off.
Loring contacted police, who later confirmed the incident, stating they were looking for the suspect.
Rockville police Maj. Eric Over told The Washington Post that "the behavior was not characteristic of the average car theft suspect."
While the incident featured a lighter side, Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council released sobering statistics showing auto theft was rife.
According to the organization, "in Maryland a car is stolen every 40 minutes and, in the United States, it is every 45 seconds."
Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council observed that, among these cases, 50 percent of the vehicles stolen had the keys inside the vehicle.
Furthermore, 60 percent of the vehicles stolen were left unlocked and 95 percent of the vehicles stolen were not fitted with anti-theft devices.
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