In a surprising twist, a Texas man was apprehended after he made an audacious attempt to steal an unmarked police car. Little did he know, the vehicle was occupied by on-duty officers. The peculiar incident occurred when the man, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it was a police car, decided to abscond with it.
Police trying to bust a car thief were shocked when he tried to steal another vehicle: an unmarked police car with cops on board
Crime can be a complex matter to understand. There are those who meticulously plan and execute their criminal activities, while others engage in impulsive and poorly thought-out actions that often result in swift apprehension. This particular incident in Texas exemplifies the latter category, as a man attempted to steal an unmarked police car that already had officers inside.
Authorities in Lakeway, Texas were alerted by license plate readers to the presence of a stolen car in the vicinity. These Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems utilize cameras to capture and record information from license plates as vehicles pass by. Thankfully, these readers are capable of identifying vehicles that have been reported as stolen. Subsequently, the police officers in Lakeway promptly initiated a search to locate the stolen vehicle.
The car was left behind by the driver on a road in Lakeway, just west of Downtown Austin. In a strategic shift, the police officers decided to employ an unmarked police car to track down the car thief. To their surprise, the perpetrator reappeared, apparently intending to steal another vehicle.
In this instance, the Texan man shifted his focus towards the unmarked police car and proceeded to approach it. To the officers’ astonishment, he made an audacious attempt to steal the vehicle. Unsurprisingly, the police officers happened to be inside the unmarked vehicle when the daring car theft endeavor occurred.
The man began to run, and the officers quickly gave chase. But the pursuit didn’t last long as the officers managed to catch up with the man and take him into custody. According to the authorities in Lakeway, it was discovered that the man had yet another stolen vehicle in his possession at the time of his arrest.
It is uncertain if the car thief was aware that the unmarked car was a police vehicle. However, most unmarked units have distinctive characteristics that give them away. To begin with, an undercover car usually has municipal or police department plates instead of regular license plates. Additionally, an undercover vehicle may be equipped with law enforcement gear such as discreet emergency lights, radio antennae, or a push bar.