Carjacking Victim Speaks Out

Monday, May 21st 2007, 6:47 pm

By: News On 6

A woman is carjacked about 20 feet from where her children lay sleeping. It happened at 4 a.m. Monday and the victim has gone from being mad, to crying all day, to being thankful. Kati says when it first happened, she thought the man was joking, that his gun wasn't real, but quickly, it became apparent, she was being carjacked at gunpoint and survival was all that mattered.

The most common places for a carjacking are intersections, gas stations, freeway exits and parking lots. It happened to Kati in the parking lot of her apartment at 4 a.m. Monday. She and her sister had just parked and gotten out.

"He pulled his gun and said give me your keys, so I handed him the keys,â€ she said. â€œHe said get on the ground, so we laid on the ground. He told my sister, give me your purse."

Kati says the man didn't scream or cuss, just made his demands, then got into her SUV and left. She ran to her apartment, banged on the door, and then called police.

"I was mad as hell, I'll tell honestly. That's the nicest vehicle I've ever owned, the newest vehicle I've ever owned, that's everything I owned," Kati said.

Now, she's going to be making payments on a vehicle she doesn't even have. It's a 2001 Dodge Durango sport with dark tinted windows and a paper tag in the back window. The matching seat covers and floor mats have green tree frogs on them.

If you are carjacked, police say do what Kati did and give up the keys. Throw them if you can, so you can run the opposite direction. Never drive the suspect anywhere and do get a good description of the thief, for police.

Kati bought her car from Automatic Auto Finance and they attach a device that allows them to remotely shut off the car's starter. She hopes that will make it impossible for the robber to drive her car. She's most glad that she's still here to raise her 9 and 11-year-old children.

"When I was laying on the ground, I was hoping he didn't decide to shoot me and was worried about my sister," she said.

Anyone with information about this robbery can call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS, and if the tip helps police make an arrest, the reward could be as much as a $1,000.

To prevent carjackings when driving, keep your windows and doors locked all year around and leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you at stoplights.

Watch the video: Carjacking Suspect On The Loose