Jacksonville woman dragged by her own car after man jumps in

A Jacksonville woman is recovering after she was dragged by her own car.

Police said a woman was loading her car in front of Sally Beauty Supply on Tuesday morning when a man jumped into her car. They said the victim grabbed the door handle to try and stop the thief, but he took off, and the woman was dragged.

“All of a sudden he just darted out and ran around and pushed her and jumped in.

And she was just trying to hold on and open the door back up, and that’s when he sped off with the smoke coming from the tires. I mean, he went really fast,” said a witness.

Officers said the woman was able to track her phone through Google Maps.

Her phone was pinging in a neighborhood about 2 miles away.

When police got there, they said the car was parked near a community pool.

They said the car was still running, and the woman’s purse, her husband’s gun and the items she had just purchased, were gone.

“He sees the opportunity that a car was running and decided that was his ticket to that ride he needed,” said Lynnea Gamel, a witness.

Gamel said the man walked into her salon just minutes before the incident, demanding a ride from her clients. She said one of her male clients confronted the suspect.

“You need to leave. There’s women here. My girlfriend is trying to get her hair cut, and you just need to go,” the witness said.

Police in Atlanta said they are seeing an increase in what they call “slider” crimes. That’s when thieves sneak into cars to steal things while their owners are distracted.

Action News Jax spoke to the victim over the phone who said she’s doing OK.

She has a scrape on her hand and knee. As for the crook, witnesses said they’ve seen him in the area before panhandling.

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