A 22-year-old woman used a hot cup of coffee to fend off an armed attacker during a violent struggle and police say if she hadn’t, she might not be alive.
The woman was unlocking her car Friday in the parking lot of Albertson's grocery store at 8:50 a.m. on East Valley Parkway when a man approached her from behind.
“The suspect pushed a gun into her back and ordered the woman into her vehicle, threatening to shoot her if she resisted,” Lt. Neal Griffin said.
The woman fought back and the carjacker struck her in the head with his gun, Griffin said.
"He had her in the car," Griffin told the North County Times. "He actually even said, 'You're going to drive,' or words to that effect."
The woman threw hot coffee in the carjacker's face and freed herself, but dropped her keys. The carjacker grabbed them and drove off in her car, Griffin said.
The victim did the right thing by fighting back against her attacker, Griffin said. He says the crime was so brazen, and the suspect so violent, that there's a good chance the victim would not be alive today if she hadn't managed to fight him off and get out of the car before he drove away.
The woman's car was found in a remote area of the San Pasqual valley, Griffin said.
The victim’s father, George Wolfe, is urging the suspect to turn himself in.
“What you did is a horrible thing to do to a young lady," he said.
The carjacker was described as a tanned white man about 50 years old, 5'9" tall and 160 lbs., with short graying hair.
Griffin said the man responsible is considered armed and dangerous and residents should not try to interact with him or detain him.
He's facing several charges including attempted kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and carjacking.
