The basic requirement when carjacking a vehicle is knowing how to drive both stick and automatic. But a pair of teenage carjackers didn’t know the former, so they couldn’t do away with a vehicle that was simply out there on the road, just beyond their grasp. Investigators in Montgomery County, Maryland, stated that a couple of teens- a 17-year-old from Washington, and a 16-year-old from Rockville had been arrested for a strong-arm carjacking that took place in a Germantown gas station- just 25 miles northwest of Washington DC. The CCTV footage recovered regarding the incident showed the suspects moving towards a blue vehicle after the owner had already been inside. Next, the driver has yanked away from the car and is moving quickly, while the teens prepare for their getaway journey.
As it turns out, carjacking in modern times isn’t that easy- considering the car remained immobile, and the teens were still inside. After failing to work the stick, they fled but were finally caught by the investigators. This incident occurred at a Sunoco gas station on a Saturday at 4.30 pm. The Department of Police of Montgomery County stated, “The investigation by detectives determined that the adult male victim finished pumping his gas and attempted to enter his car when he observed the juveniles running towards him. The juveniles entered the victim’s car and attempted to drive away. Unable to drive a manual transmission, the juveniles exited the vehicle and left the scene on foot.”
Carjacking Crime Went Wrong With Accused Unable To Drive A Stick
The police officers located the teens involved in an attempted carjacking at 5 pm on a nearby block. The press release read, “When officers attempted to apprehend them, they fled on foot. After a brief foot chase, the juveniles were quickly apprehended.” The teens were subsequently arrested and then taken into custody without bond. The charges levied against them include one count of conspiracy carjacking and another count of carjacking.
Interestingly, this isn’t the only instance where a carjacking went wrong because the people involved couldn’t drive a stick. In Detroit, an attempted carjacking of a blue 2006 Acura TSX resulted in three suspects fiddling with the car for a few seconds and then running away when they realized that no one in their gang was capable of driving a manual transmission. The incident took place on June 28th, 2021 at 8.33 pm in the city. Fortunately, the driver wasn’t hurt and recovered their vehicle without too much trouble. When the news was reported, the police in the city had just released the CCTV footage of the crime and were actively looking for the three suspects involved in the crime.[1]
It goes without saying that manual transmission or sticks are much preferred by the automotive enthusiast community- simply because it provides the rider far more control over the delivery to the wheels. But society at large couldn’t care less about control and has slowly been moving towards automatic transmission. Although the latter is easier to deal with, it has led to people forgetting how to drive a stick. And if the above two instances are to be considered, maybe it is a good thing in certain situations.
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Sources
- “Teens arrested after manual transmission stalls carjacking attempt.” Law and Crime. Marisa Sarnoff. March 30, 2023.
- “Watch Carjackers Run Away Because They Can’t Drive Stick.” The Drive. Lewin Day. July 9, 2021.
