UNIVERSITY PARK (CBSDFW.COM) – If he wanted an easy getaway, he picked the wrong construction crew. The viral video of workers chasing a thief through a Park Cities neighborhood has already been seen hundreds of thousands of times. Now investigators want help tracking down the thief.
University Park police said this remains an open investigation, and they’re still looking for the suspect they say stole equipment before leading workers on a dramatic chase.
Now that so many people have seen the video, investigators hope the thief won’t be able to hide for long.
A home surveillance camera caught the driver of the red car stopping in the middle of Douglas Avenue for what must have seemed like an easy score.
But after taking what University Park police describe as a $1,200 saw, the driver soon found himself on the run from a group of workers including one on the hood of his car.
“Well I was astounded the guy jumped on the hood of the car, but I can understand his, like I said moral outrage,” neighbor Rick Bauchman said.
Bauchman lives nearby and watched the YouTube video that has now been seen more than 400,000 times.
CBS 11 met another neighbor who didn’t want to be identified but said she saw from her front porch the pickup truck chasing the red car crash into it before it is seen coming back on camera.
“And at that point the red car stopped, backed up, turned around, and came flying back past me with the person still attached to the hood,” the neighbor said.
The man can still be seen on the hood when the red car comes back into frame with a truck close behind ramming it as they speed through the neighborhood.
“I wish they’d caught him and beat the bejesus out of him,” Bauchman said.
Investigators said the man on the hood is okay and that no one was hurt in the chase.
The driver of the red car faces a theft of property charge.
Good, they look like they're willing to work harder than most of the worthless pricks in this countryThese people vote.
Now that so many people have seen the video, investigators hope the thief won’t be able to hide for long.
Is this meant to be an insult? Because I would rather someone not afraid to take action for justice be voting. Someone curling into a ball, sucking their thumb and calling someone else to get their property back is probably safer on the lawsuit side.These people vote.
Good, they look like they're willing to work harder than most of the worthless pricks in this country
TIL that jumping on the hood of a thief's car to somehow magically stop him from stealing construction supplies = work. You'd get a lot more accomplished by just writing down the license plate number. What was dude going to do, punch through the windshield?
And provoking a car chase through a residential neighborhood over some bricks is cool now? When did that happen? Last I knew, human lives were worth more than Lincoln Logs.
Not to mention one small-looking-guy tried to steal something from .. 4? 5? rather large construction worker-types. In all likelyhood they felt they had the upper hand, which turned into pack mentality, which tends to bolster one's confidence (to the point of jumping on a moving car).It's easy to monday morning QB the video seeing what happened, but at the time do you really think they knew it was going to end in a chase? They wanted to stop the guy from stealing something, or else people like him don't learn their lesson. It got out of hand, but it's not like they had time to plan out all of the outcomes... they just knew a very important part of their livelihood was getting stolen.
Tell this idiot there is a stark difference between real life and the game grand theft auto.
Not to mention one small-looking-guy tried to steal something from .. 4? 5? rather large construction worker-types. In all likelyhood they felt they had the upper hand, which turned into pack mentality, which tends to bolster one's confidence (to the point of jumping on a moving car).
Props to 'em for not rolling over though!
Probably. Gotta spice things up every once in a while though!When somebody does something that stupid and crazy, you have to start thinking about whether the person is armed, on drugs, etc. Jump on the hood of the car? Crash into it with a truck? Moronic and selfish. They should have just started recording it. In escalating the situation from petty theft to extreme physical danger to everyone in the neighborhood, what they did was worse than what the thief did.
It's easy to monday morning QB the video seeing what happened, but at the time do you really think they knew it was going to end in a chase? They wanted to stop the guy from stealing something, or else people like him don't learn their lesson. It got out of hand, but it's not like they had time to plan out all of the outcomes... they just knew a very important part of their livelihood was getting stolen.
It's clear: if you want to be chased while having a guy on your hood, steal pipe lying nearby, if you don't want to be chased, don't steal the pipe.When three people jump in their vehicles and drive after the car speeding away with their buddy on the hood? That's not really "ending" in a chase. It is a chase.
Tough call, though. With the guy riding the hood, do you chase after them hoping he doesn't get a ride down the highway at 110 MPH, or do you not chase them, hoping that you don't endanger his life more by causing the driver to do something really dumb? If that guy in the truck intentionally tried to wreck the car while his friend was on the hood, though, that was just monumentally stupid.