San Diego

Manual Transmission Stumps Would-Be Carjacker in San Diego

San Diego police said the suspect tried to steal a car in San Diego’s Fox Canyon area Thursday night but, when he got to the gears, failed

A man who tried to steal a car from two teenagers in San Diego failed when the car’s manual transmission tripped him up mid-crime.

The victims – 18 and 17 years old – were sitting in a car Thursday just after 10:45 p.m. at Auburn Drive and Wightman Street in the Fox Canyon area when the suspect walked up to the passenger window and demanded the victims give him their cell phones.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said the suspect then told the victims to get out of the car. The teens got out and the suspect hopped in.

Then came the ultimate driving test.

Police said the suspect revved the engine several times and tried to drive away, but the car wouldn’t move. Investigators believe the man was stumped because he didn’t know how to drive the manual vehicle.

He got out and ran away.

The suspect remains at large and the investigation is ongoing. The SDPD said the victims described him as 5-foot-7 with a skinny build, between 18 and 20 years old. He wore a grey hoodie and dark pants during the attempted carjacking.

No one was hurt.

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