November 18, 200421 yr ...Back From Thief Wednesday, November 17, 2004 An Idaho woman did a car thief one better — she stole her own car back. Cheryl Otero and her husband heard her 1996 Eagle Talon (search) start up in their Pocatello driveway just after midnight on Saturday, the Idaho State Journal of Pocatello reports. She yelled, "Our car's being stolen!" but the thief drove off just as her husband ran outside. He got into his own car to give pursuit, while Cheryl called police, then had her friend Cami Gelles pick her up. Husband, wife and friends — men in one car, women in another — combed the small city of 50,000 for the Talon. After a couple of fruitless hours, Otero told Gelles she'd fill her tank for her trouble, and they pulled into a gas station. Suddenly they saw a familiar pair of headlights. The women watched as the Talon pulled up to a bank of pay phones across the street. A strange man got out to make a call. Gelles quietly drove up to the Talon. Otero hopped into the driver's seat, stuck her key in the ignition and sped off. Rap music instantly blared out of the CD player. Otero noticed that her collection of Christian-music CDs and other personal items were gone. "As I'm driving off in my car," she related to the State Journal, "I'm wondering if I hadn't gotten in the wrong car because the interior was so different." Gelles was supposed to take off after Otero. But instead, she got out of her own car and marched over to the suspect. "You stole my friend's car!" she shouted. "You're going to jail!" He denied it, but she grabbed him and tried to hold him until cops showed up. The man started hitting Gelles, according to Otero, saying "I have warrants! I'm not going back to jail!" "She started hitting him back," Otero added. "She gave as good as she got. I didn't know that side of her." Finally, the suspect managed to wriggle out of the sweatshirt Gelles was holding him by just as an onlooker came up to help her. The suspect ran off. "You should have seen my husband's face when we drove up in that car," Otero told the newspaper. "His mouth was dropped to the ground, and we were like, 'Girls rule!'" Pocatello police Lt. Rick Capell said the women were lucky the suspect wasn't armed, but added that Gelles had given enough of a description to ensure a good chance of catching him.
November 18, 200421 yr That would have been funny she steals back the car only to find out it really wasn't her car LoL
November 18, 200421 yr As much as I love these stories, I have to ask myself, was it worth risking serious injury or death to get a car back? I do not grieve about something that cannot grieve for me. I'm glad they got their car back, but imagine if he did pull a gun.
November 18, 200421 yr As much as I love these stories, I have to ask myself, was it worth risking serious injury or death to get a car back? I do not grieve about something that cannot grieve for me. I'm glad they got their car back, but imagine if he did pull a gun. Good point, Tex. But it's an awesome story!
November 18, 200421 yr Good point, Tex. But it's an awesome story! I'm from Texas, I love the victim kicks the criminal's ass stories. Plus he got beat up by a woman. That is not going to help his street cred. Think he's buddy is working up a rhyme?
November 18, 200421 yr Who steals a '96 Talon anyway? LMAO, I didn't think of that. This guy ought to just move to Siberia or somthing after he gets out of jail.
November 18, 200421 yr The man started hitting Gelles, according to Otero, saying "I have warrants! Who stole her car in the first place? "Black" Gallagher from the Chapelle Show?
November 18, 200421 yr Who stole her car in the first place? "Black" Gallagher from the Chapelle Show? The dude was trying to make it in time for the 5 o'clock crack giveaway but didnt have any wheels.
November 19, 200421 yr He was on the phone listening to his girlfriend "but baby I brought a car" "you expect me to ride in a Talon!? What kind of a woman do you think I is? If you is going to date a fine woman like me, yuse got to steal a better set of wheels"
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