VIDEO: Texas father shoots carjacker attempting to steal vehicle with family inside
Texas father shoots carjacker attempting to steal car
A father in Garland shot and killed a carjacker who attempted to steal a vehicle while his family of eight was still inside.
GARLAND, Texas - Garland police say a driver shot a man who was trying to carjack him in a parking lot. The incident was captured on surveillance.
Police say the man tried to steal several vehicles by force yesterday afternoon, before trying this one near Highway 66 and Dairy Road.
Father defends family during struggle
What we know:
A majority of the family members were inside the car when a carjacker tried to steal it. The carjacker was shot and killed by the father during a struggle captured on video.
Surveillance video shows a man attacking and trying to carjack a family of eight in Garland on Sunday afternoon, before the father shoots and kills him.
Witness describes suspect's erratic behavior
Local perspective:
Tatiana Starks manages Garland Smoke and Vape in a shopping center near the incident.
"You could definitely tell that he was not in his right state of mind," said Starks. "I’m just glad that the man was able to protect himself and his family."
Garland Police Department says the carjacker initially crashed into two other vehicles.
"While we were responding to the scene, we received more information that the driver of that car had exited and immediately began physically trying to get into other vehicles in the parking lot," said Lt. Pedro Barineau.
Starks says she saw the man breaking into several vehicles at a gas station, so she took cell phone footage.
"He like tried to get into several different cars," she said.
She stopped recording as the man began walking across the street toward her.
"He ended up going into their car."
Carjacking attempt caught on video
Dig deeper:
The family of eight was unaware of what was happening, and what was about to happen.
Video shows the carjacker in the peach shirt, confronting the father in the white shirt.
The father struggles as the carjacker is trying to drive off with the family’s car with family members still inside. After nearly a minute of struggle, the carjacker, who’s in the driver’s seat, is shot by the father while he stands outside the car and near the passenger side door.
Police do not expect to file charges against the father.
"It seemed to be self-defense," said Lt. Barineau. "It kind of all happened like really fast."
Starks is grateful to be talking about a story in which no victims were hurt.
"It’s just a blessing that the kids and the family walked away with no injuries," she said.
Investigation continues into suspect’s identity
What's next:
Garland police say they are still working to identify the suspect.
Police did not recover any weapons on him, but they say he was absolutely using force to try and steal multiple vehicles and at the moment, that father did not know if that person was armed.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Garland police.