A WOMAN whose car was stolen from right in front of her says she has learned her lesson – after she was hit with a ticket to boot.
CCTV footage shows the moment Michelle Toney from Memphis, Tennessee, stood motionless in shock as a man jumped out of a car and into hers before driving away.
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Luckily, Toney was able to get her car back within around 30 minutes after it was stolen, with police issuing her with a ticket after her stolen car was found with the engine running.
Speaking to WABI5 of the moment her car was taken, she said: “I just, like, I was frozen, shook, scared.”
The theft, which took place just after 8 pm on Sunday evening, involved a white Honda Accord which had pulled up behind Toney’s white Lexus.
It was later revealed that the Accord had also been stolen earlier in the evening.
Toney added: “I got scared because I don’t know if he has a weapon, but I was like, ‘Please, please, like please just leave my car alone.’”
Police said the driver of a second white car, which witnessed the theft, stopped to ask Toney if she was ok and if she had left something in the car.
Then, minutes later, Toney’s car was recovered with a flat tire and slight damage.
“I literally found out maybe it wasn’t long, maybe like within the next 30 minutes, that my car was down, basically right down the street and abandoned in a parking lot,” Toney said.
But that wasn’t the end of it as Memphis Police issued her a citation for an unattended motor vehicle, as per Tennessee code.
The law states, in part: “No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key, and effectively setting the brake.”
Toney added: “It was a humbling experience because you always think it’ll never happen to you.”
This comes as a woman was hit with a $6,500 fine for allowing somebody to get away with a parking ticket.
Paula Thomas of Hamilton, Bermuda, who’s also a former Corporation of Hamilton worker, admitted to taking a bribe to help someone escape a fine.
Reports state the 65-year-old accepted a “lunch and a drink” offer in exchange for not inputting her parking ticket into a monitoring system when she appeared in Magistrates’ Court last December.
Thomas also admitted not issuing a summons in anticipation of being offered another reward.
Furthermore, she also lied about the status of another parking ticket to benefit another individual.
Magistrate Craig Attridge said that Thomas the one who broke the trust placed in her, and must be treated accordingly.
Elsewhere, homeowners risk losing thousands of dollars to driveway renovation scams – often being masked as “great deals”.
Elderly residents in Detroit, Michigan, are increasingly being targeted by landscaping scammers who use high-pressure tactics and demand cash upfront.
What is reckless driving?
Laws across the country are cracking down on careless drivers who endanger other people on the road. Here are some behaviors that are considered reckless driving:
- Speeding
- Street racing
- Aggressive driving/road rage
- Tailgating
- Driving under the influence
- Using a phone while driving
- Running red lights
- Inattentive driving
- Improperly changing lanes
- Not signaling
- Carrying too many passengers
- Weaving in and out of traffic
