A doorbell camera captured the dramatic moment a man was almost knocked down by a getaway driver in his own driveway after fighting off a possible would-be thief outside his home.
Police said Sunday that one person has been arrested in connection with the case and are still investigating the incident last month in South Hill, Washington, south of Tacoma, which has gone viral since the footage from Eric Smith's Ring camera was released.
Smith was notified by the Ring app that there was activity outside his house March 3. He ran outside and confronted a man who was in his truck. It is unclear whether the man intended to steal the truck or items inside it, making it a so-called car prowl incident.
The footage shows the man immediately running toward a waiting car, but he is grabbed by Smith and pulled to the ground.
As the scuffle continues, the waiting car drives straight into Smith, who was able to balance on the hood of the advancing vehicle and land on his feet unharmed as it drove into his parked truck. The car then speeds away.
"In that moment…as soon as the vehicle hit me, I was like 'all right, hang on for dear life,'" Smith told KIRO-TV of Seattle.
"But as soon as I got my hands on the guy, I knew he was a young teenager," Smith said.
"I ended up landing on my feet and the next thing I know. ... I was like I gotta get the license plate," he told KIRO.
Smith can then be seen taking a picture of the car with his cellphone. The image was blurred, but police said it will help their investigation.
“It could’ve been completely different and I could’ve been injured or even killed,” said Smith, who will replace the truck’s right-side doors.
Deputy Carly Cappetto from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said that a neighboring jurisdiction had arrested a so-far unidentified person they believe is "one of the involved parties."
She said in a statement: "Though motor vehicle thefts are not uncommon, we have seen a significant rise in motor vehicle thefts with juvenile suspects."
She continued: "This incident is particularly scary since it shows how bold these suspects are getting and at what costs they will take to get away."
Cappetto added that while it was good for citizens to protect their property and scare away intruders, "we don’t want anyone getting hurt by apprehending these car thieves."
