FIFE, Wash. — A woman who confronted a car thief along with a family member was shot in Fife Monday morning.
Fife Police Department Assistant Chief Dave Woods said a car was left running to warm up outside a house in the 3000 block of Destination Avenue.
“It was started, left unattended and unlocked,” Woods said.
Some cities have made it illegal to leave your car running in your driveway, but Fife is not one of them.
When they discovered the car was being stolen, a woman and a male family member chased after the thief in a second vehicle.
They were able to block in the stolen car, and the two confronted the driver at Radiance Boulevard East and Celebration Avenue East, a few blocks from their home, at around 6:40 a.m.
The man relinquished their car, but then shot the woman and ran away from the scene.
The woman is now back home from the hospital.
“We have to be on our toes,” said resident John Fuertes. “We have to be on our toes. You have to be ready for something like this.”
Fuertes lives just down the street from where a 32-year-old mother was shot in the back, trying to stop a thief from getting away with her vehicle.
“Do not leave your car on, warming up,” suggests Fuertes. “You were, he was a target.”
Fife police say they are hot on the shooter’s trail. They have some leads and some surveillance video.
But anyone who has information that could help catch the shooter is asked to come forward.