David Duncan wanted to be a Samaritan. He ended up a Carjack Victim. Then he almost was a hero. But he ended up with a wrecked car. It's a long story.
Duncan says he thought he was helping two strangers find their keys early Wednesday. Then it became clear he had been tricked.
The two men he tried to help stole David Duncan's car and crashed it into a nearby apartment. Duncan, who dove through a car window in an attempt to stop the criminals, was still hanging from the window when the car crashed.
"I was trying to be a Good Samaritan, and it didn't work out too well," said Duncan.
Duncan was planning to go out for food at about 1 a.m. Wednesday when he noticed the two men trying to get into a van in the 5800 block of Carlton Way. They told Duncan they needed help finding their keys, so Duncan grabbed a flashlight and helped them search.
Then, he heard his car's engine rev.
Duncan sprinted toward his car and jumped through the open driver's side window. The driver accelerated about 50 yards before Duncan said he "knew it was all over."
"I was still hanging through the window, in his lap, trying to reach for brakes, steer the car, grab the stickshift," said Duncan, still wearing his pajama pants. "Even when it hit, it was still in gear."
The carjackers casually walked away from the wreckage.
On top of having his car stolen and crashed, Duncan lost his glasses during the wild ride. His blurred vision gave him second thoughts about pursuing his assailants, but another man pulled up just in time to see the men leaving the crash site.
"I'm thinking, 'Should I go after them?' But I can't see, so that's not really in my best interest," said Duncan. "But this guy does. He races down there."
The men fired shots in the direction of Good Samaritan No. 2, but he was not struck by the gunfire, Duncan said. Police confirmed the subjects fired one gunshot.
A police helicopter searched the area, but no one was in custody early Wednesday.
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