# Man shots carjacker trying to drag a woman out of car. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 3, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183 "2015-05-03T22:29:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/1 "2015-05-03T22:29:33Z")
Sure glad this guy came by in time to intervene. This creep had already carjacked a car earlier that day. This was his second attack against a woman in just a few hours. Good Samaritan was heading to target practice. I’d say his aim is already pretty good. 😃 > **[Yahoo News: Latest and Breaking News, Headlines, Live Updates, and More](https://news.yahoo.com/)** > > The latest news and headlines from Yahoo News. Get breaking news stories and in-depth coverage with videos and photos. > [@](#): > > The 31-year-old male shooter was in Macey’s parking lot in Orem, 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, when he heard a woman’s screams as she was being pulled from her SUV by the suspect, investigators said. > > The man told police he went to assist the woman, and the 27-year-old male suspect lunged at him in an attempt to grab his gun. > > The man fired one round at the suspect, hitting him in the chest. The suspect later died at a hospital. > [@](#): > > The suspect allegedly assaulted a woman earlier Saturday and drove to the Macey’s parking lot in a stolen pickup. Once there, he exited the truck and tried to carjack the woman at about 11:20 a.m., police said. > > "That may be a reason he escalated a fight to the degree that it’s gone on today, and stealing cars to try to get away, because he has some felony warrants ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/2 "2015-05-03T22:31:40Z")
if i caught the tv news right 5 or 6 were involved in the earlier jacking. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/3 "2015-05-03T22:40:05Z")
And you mean to tell me he didn’t oblige the carjacker to summon his lawyer, let alone give him time to file a grievance against being shot on civil rights grounds? And of _course_ he claimed the alleged shooter “grabbed for his gun” that’s what they always say when they shoot innocent people, you know. I expect mass protests in the streets of Utah over this egregious miscarriage of justice within the hour. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/4 "2015-05-03T22:42:46Z")
Al Sharpton is on an inbound flight as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/5 "2015-05-03T22:53:47Z")
He’s not off the hook yet. Given the circumstances they probably won’t press charges. Especially since the perp had carjacked a different lady hours earlier. But nothing is guaranteed these days. Warm Milk and cookies is the preferred way to handle violent criminals these days. 😉 It calms them down and makes good upstanding citizens. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/6 "2015-05-04T00:53:07Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Al Sharpton is on an inbound flight as we speak. Interesting. Nothing in the article mentions race, creed, color or even a name, but since it’s a crime the suspect must have been black. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/7 "2015-05-04T01:26:58Z")
Orem Utah? I guess it’s always possible the suspect is black. But that’s lilly white Mormon country. 😃😃 😃 I always find it surprising to hear about any violent crime in Utah. Imagine Donny Osmond attacking somebody. LOL All those devout Mormons and all. But they do have a few people scattered throughout their population that doesn’t worship at their Temples. I can only imagine how many times people knock on the non-believer’s doors to witness to them. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/8 "2015-05-04T01:31:27Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Interesting. Nothing in the article mentions race, creed, color or even a name, but since it’s a crime the suspect must have been black. Are you implying that Al Sharpton, the paragon of moral virtue, only cares about victims who are black? If you asked him, I bet he’d say that he fights for all those who are oppressed by the police state. In fact, you’re the one who brought up race in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/9 "2015-05-04T01:42:06Z")
Find someone else to play your games with, I’m embarrassed for falling for the troll in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/10 "2015-05-04T01:53:38Z")
Assuming the facts of the case are as reported, he probably acted appropriately. If the facts are not as reported, that’ll probably come out soon enough (the testimony of the victim should help here). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/11 "2015-05-04T02:46:08Z")
According to a later update I read a couple hours ago: The police are calling him a hero. It remains for the local DA to decide whether to file any charges against him, which isn’t a settled deal yet, but the police think that will be unlikely. ETA: Oh, and the article listed several specific reasons why he would NOT likely be charged with anything: [ul][li] He had a permit to carry the gun, which included a requirement for some kind of training certificate;[/li][li] He was acting directly to prevent a violent felony (the carjacking and perhaps forcible abduction of the driver);[/li][li] He was acting in self-defense (the carjacker allegedly scuffled with him and tried to grab his gun)[/ul][/li] All of which put him on the right side of the law. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/12 "2015-05-04T02:54:25Z")
Actually he was lucky that it wasn’t a domestic dispute–which it could easily have been (there is a lot of physical violence between couples). ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/13 "2015-05-04T03:01:15Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Actually he was lucky that it wasn’t a domestic dispute–which it could easily have been (there is a lot of physical violence between couples). That was my thought as well. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/14 "2015-05-04T05:49:09Z")
The world needs more who will get involved. Done just right IMO. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/15 "2015-05-04T06:40:34Z")
Hmm, I don’t know. Just based on the article in the OP, I don’t see any indication that the guy meant the woman any harm other than wanting her car. You shouldn’t go around stealing people’s cars but it’s also not something people should be getting killed over. This would appear to be a classic case where gun coming out escalated the situation instead of diffusing it. Not that the bystander did anything illegal or even unreasonable since he had no idea what was going on when he pulled the gun out, but I find the “good thing he was there!” comments sort of distasteful since his being there is what changed the end result from a stolen car to a dead human being. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/16 "2015-05-04T07:25:40Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Hmm, I don’t know. Just based on the article in the OP, I don’t see any indication that the guy meant the woman any harm other than wanting her car. You shouldn’t go around stealing people’s cars but it’s also not something people should be getting killed over. > > This would appear to be a classic case where gun coming out escalated the situation instead of diffusing it. Not that the bystander did anything illegal or even unreasonable since he had no idea what was going on when he pulled the gun out, but I find the “good thing he was there!” comments sort of distasteful since his being there is what changed the end result from a stolen car to a dead human being. I second this opinion. But, perhaps, at the scene events unfolded more clearly and he did what was necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/17 "2015-05-04T08:43:48Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Actually he was lucky that it wasn’t a domestic dispute–which it could easily have been (there is a lot of physical violence between couples). Wouldn’t affect my opinion of the shooter, and the dead violent guy if it was. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/18 "2015-05-04T09:11:15Z")
A request: If anyone ever sees somebody trying to forcibly drag me out of a car as I am screaming for help, please do not wait to see if he murders me before trying to render assistance. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/19 "2015-05-04T09:18:57Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > A request: If anyone ever sees somebody trying to forcibly drag me out of a car as I am screaming for help, please do not wait to see if he murders me before trying to render assistance. But what if it was your husband?! Apparently that’s different. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183/20 "2015-05-04T10:19:03Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Hmm, I don’t know. Just based on the article in the OP, I don’t see any indication that the guy meant the woman any harm other than wanting her car. Yeah, and maybe he just wanted her car so that he could deliver food and medicine to an orphanage. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-shots-carjacker-trying-to-drag-a-woman-out-of-car/719183.md?page=2)