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Stick shift foils carjacking attempt

  • The Wichita Eagle
  • Published Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, at 2:37 p.m.
  • Updated Wednesday, May 8, 2013, at 12:19 p.m.

Strange Kansas stories in the news

Today's story isn't the first time an unusual Wichita or Kansas story has made the rounds.

Here are some other recent stories you may remember:

WICHITA — A man's attempt to carjack a vehicle in south Wichita Tuesday night was foiled by an unexpected complication: He didn't know how to drive a stick shift.

Police say a 20-year-old man had filled up his car at the QuikTrip at Seneca and 31st Street South and had returned to his vehicle when a stranger approached him at about 7:35 p.m.

The stranger demanded that the victim surrender his car, and began to reach behind his back as if to produce a weapon, police said. The victim bolted from the car and ran toward the store, and the suspect got in and tried to drive off.

But he didn't know how to work the manual transmission and the car stalled, police said, so he abandoned the car and ran east from the convenience store.

Video surveillance captured the suspect climbing out of a maroon Ford Taurus prior to the incident, police said, and officers are now looking for that vehicle.

Reach Stan Finger at 316-268-6437 or sfinger@wichitaeagle.com.

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