CARJACKER NEEDS TO GET OFF THE STICK

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 5, 1993                   TAG: 9303050134
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
CARJACKER NEEDS TO GET OFF THE STICK
A man who attempted two carjackings Tuesday night in Alexandria may be thinking of finding a new line of work.
In both instances, the would-be thief abandoned the vehicles after driving only a short distance - apparently because he didn't know how to use a manual transmission, according to police.
Police spokesman Mark Bergin said the aborted carjackings occurred five minutes and a couple of blocks apart. Brandishing a handgun, the man first took a 1983 Subaru, then tried a 1991 Dodge Shadow, Bergin said.
The owner of the Dodge told police that the thief ground the car's gears excessively as he drove off, then abandoned the vehicle less than two blocks away.
But that was progress of sorts. In the first incident, the gunman had managed to drive the car only one block before giving up.
No one was injured.
- The Washington Post

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB