Tow truck driver nabbed in car thefts with help of bold resident
ST. LOUIS – A man accused of stealing two cars with the help of a tow truck was caught by one resident who wasn’t afraid to speak out.
It can be seen and heard on surveillance video, which shows a Dutchtown resident yelling at a tow truck driver, alleging that he was returning to steal the third car on her street.
In the video, the resident tells him he’s messing with the wrong neighborhood as she holds up her phone to take video and calls police.
“I’m mama bear,” she told FOX 2 Friday, after his arrest. Her name and identity are not being shared for privacy. “How bold are you to come up to people’s homes and take their vehicles?”
Court records, along with surveillance video on Liermann Avenue, indicate the defendant stole one car on the street April 15, then returned to the scene of that alleged crime to steal another car.
Tow truck driver nabbed in car thefts with help of bold resident
Charging documents say 47-year-old Wendell Bryant used a tow truck marked C & J to steal vehicles. Bryant is charged with stealing two cars, along with an additional charge of property damage. One car was reportedly stolen with the victim’s baby belongings inside.
The unidentified neighbor said, “You can see the baby walker in there!”
“He’s lucky he didn’t try to take my car,“ nearby resident John MacEnulty said, adding, “I had to laugh because it’s just one more thing.”
Police shut down the operation in an unusual way. Officers say they arrested Bryant at the federal courthouse, where he had a meeting with his probation officer on a different case.
The unidentified neighbor commented, “That is amazing. You’re already in trouble; what are you doing? That’s karma.”
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