Tulsa Carjacking Victim Says She Relives Crime Over And Over

A Tulsa woman carjacked by an ex-convict in broad daylight has a warning for others and some advice.

It happened Dec. 30 at the Thornton Family YMCA near 51st and Yale about 11:15 a.m.

The victim, a woman we call “Mary,” talked exclusively to News On 6.

Mary said she prides herself on being safety aware. She saw a young man in the parking lot that day, but she figured he was a college student home on break. She says she always locks her doors when she gets in the car, but this time, the gun was already in her face.

“And he was screaming at me, ‘Get out of the car right now or I will shoot you! Get out right now!" she said.

A surveillance video shows Mary leaving the Y. You can see the suspect hanging out near the building, then he goes to her car and then you see her running back to the Y to call police.

"You take a deep breath and close your eyes and you just relive it over and over and over," she said.

Police tracked down and arrested 20-year-old Dakota Campus within 40 minutes.

Records show he was arrested in 2012 for shooting with intent to kill. He pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and got five years probation.

He also pleaded guilty in 2013 for stealing motorcycle, and he was sentenced to two years in prison.

He served less than half that and was released two months ago.

"He could do this again,” Mary said. “If he's out next week, he'll do it again."

Mary also feels the staff at the Y didn't do enough to inform employees and members of the crime and resisted her efforts to warn people to increase their safety awareness.

The Y says it has safety signs inside and out, and their cameras caught the crime on tape, which they gave to police. Employees say they sent out an email within a week and their new building will be configured differently.

"We're going to put our parking lot in front of the building so we'll have a line of sight from 51st and LaFortune Park and the fitness center, so we think that will help," Kyle Wilkes said.

Mary just wants to make sure nothing like this happens to anyone else.

"Your whole life flashes in front of your face," she said.

One piece of advice Mary has for others is to have a phone tracking app on your phone. Because she had it and her phone was in her car when it was stolen, police were able to track down the vehicle quickly.