KENT, Wash. — “The talk is carjackings and they seem to be on the rise throughout the region,” said Kent PD Assistant Chief Jaron Kasner.
Assistant Chief Kasner says the thieves will go to extreme lengths to take someone’s car, including causing an accident.
KIRO 7 talked with Lucas in Kent who said his cousin was carjacked in Federal Way just a few days ago.
“He was driving on the road at 4 p.m. and a man hopped from the bushes he stayed at the front of his car and raised a gun on him and told him to get out of the car. ‘If you don’t get out of the car I’m going to shoot you I’m going to kill you,’” said Lucas.
His cousin was too scared to report the carjacking to police. The suspect used a strategy that police say is becoming more common.
“It’s easier to take your car when it’s stopped and so at times, they have started to create a situation where your car becomes stopped,” said Kasner.
While Kent PD says they are seeing more carjackings in the area, the number is difficult to track down since most agencies don’t track carjackings specifically. They’re all counted as armed robberies.
The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force doesn’t track them for the same reason but does help with recovery.
Seattle Police investigated ten carjackings in September. Pierce County saw three carjackings in August, seven in September, and the first carjacking in October happened just yesterday in Edgewood.
Kasner says thieves will target people who are distracted by phones or headphones.
“That’s what happens, they don’t have to sneak up on you they can just walk up on you. By the time you realize they’re in your personal space you’re caught off guard,” said Kasner.
Police also suggest that you pay attention to where you park in public lots, and make sure no one is following you.
“Are you in a dark parking lot? is it heavily covered in shrubbery or bushes to where there are not clear lines of sight,” explained the Assistant Chief.
The carjackings that start with an intentional crash tend to happen in areas like intersections.
“It’s easier to take your car when it’s stopped and so at times, they have started to create a situation where your car becomes stopped,” Kasner said.
Those scenarios are tougher to prevent, but police say when at a stop light leave enough room between your car and the car in front of you for an escape route or a buffer if you’re hit from behind.
Kasner also suggests that you keep valuables like a phone, wallet, and purse all together while driving.
“So that if you had to get out of it for either an accident or you in trouble, you’re not fumbling around with it and it slows down your escape,” said Assistant Chief Kasner.
If you are in a fender bender and are worried it’s a carjacking attempt, police say to go to a well-lit area or even a police station to exchange information.
Don’t go to a fire station though because the building may be empty if the crew is responding to a call.
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