A man in South Carolina embarked on an ill-timed heist to steal a police vehicle and immediately faced the repercussions of his actions. A short video clip uploaded to Facebook showed the moment the young Black man dashed across the parking lot in front of a JCPenney building. Dressed in all-black, he saw a police car parked in front of the building and ran towards it.
The suspect opened the door of the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat. However, unknown to him, there was already a female police officer in the car. She appeared to struggle with the suspect just as her partner, a male officer, got wind of the attempted heist and ran to the scene.
The male officer immediately grabbed the suspect and attempted to pull him out of the vehicle. However, the suspect punched him in the face. The officer then took a few steps back and lunged at the South Carolina man, lifting him in the air, and body slamming him to the ground.
Meanwhile, the female officer had emerged from the vehicle, bringing out a taser while her partner attempted to restrain the suspect. She could also be seen placing her knees on the suspect’s back as he struggled to resist.
On the other hand, her partner landed a few punches on his arm, urging him to give in to the arrest. “Give me your hand!” he yelled.
Several voices could be heard in the background, as onlookers had stopped to take in the scene. One man could be seen pacing in front of the officers as they made the arrest; however, he did not interfere. He was shirtless, donning only a pair of grey shorts, socks, and slides.
The video went viral on social media, and several users commended the officers for their swift action, writing that the suspect had it coming. One user wrote, “He hit [the] officer first and tried [to] carjack em wym. He got what he asked for 😂.” Another user penned, “When he tried to steal the police car all bets off. He brought it on himself.”
One user praised the officer, writing, “Officer defended himself and the other officer. If he would have got to the car and left he would have put more people in danger. Great job officers!!”
Another user wrote that the suspect deserved “everything he got and more.” “… Hats off to the officers, hope they are all good!”
On the other hand, one person voiced some concern for the way the man was handled. The user wrote that after he was tased, the punches may have been “a little forcibly excessive, maybe…?”
Notably, the suspect appeared to have been apprehended. However, further information about the arrest is yet to be known.
