Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[VIDEO: TN Senator Corker's daughter carjacked, suspects apprehended via OnStar]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/07/video-tn-senator-corkers-daughter-carjacked-suspects-apprehen/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/07/video-tn-senator-corkers-daughter-carjacked-suspects-apprehen/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/07/video-tn-senator-corkers-daughter-carjacked-suspects-apprehen/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Senator Corker praises OnStar -- Click above to watch the video

Tennessee Senator Bob Corker had this opinion of OnStar a month ago: "Each month I get the bill for OnStar and [I think], 'I don't want to pay this again.'" Then his daughter Julia was carjacked in Washington D.C. last week driving his Chevrolet Tahoe, and having been yanked out of the car by her throat, she was left lying in the street.

Thankfully, Corker's daughter was all right, and she was able to call her father who was nearby. She also remembered that the vehicle as equipped with General Motors' OnStar system, and within an hour, the service had notified the D.C. police that the Tahoe was parked at a Taco Bell seven miles away in Maryland. Corker said that the carjacking happened about 9:15 pm, and by midnight the suspects had been identified and he was headed back home with his daughter.

His opinion of OnStar now: "this is an incredible service." Follow through to the jump to hear about the ordeal in Corker's words (the OnStar talk begins at about 2:15), or check out CNN for the nitty gritty details. And for proof of the extent of Southern politesse, Corker begins the tale with "A gentleman appeared, opened the door, grabbed her by the neck... and he threw her on the pavement and drove away." A "gentleman?" Hat tip to Berto!

[Sources: Politico; CNN]

Continue reading VIDEO: TN Senator Corker's daughter carjacked, suspects apprehended via OnStar

VIDEO: TN Senator Corker's daughter carjacked, suspects apprehended via OnStar originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bob corkerBobCorkercarjackcarjackingcorkeretcgovernmentonstarsenator bob corkersenator corkerSenatorBobCorkerSenatorCorkervideoMon, 07 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Nigerian goat held by police, accused of armed carjacking]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/24/nigerian-goat-held-by-police-accused-of-armed-carjacking/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/24/nigerian-goat-held-by-police-accused-of-armed-carjacking/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/24/nigerian-goat-held-by-police-accused-of-armed-carjacking/#commentsFiled under: ,

There aren't enough police in some areas of Nigeria, so vigilante groups have formed to take up the slack. When vigilantes in Kwara State saw two men trying to carjack a Mazda 323, they went after the baddies. One of the men escaped, but the other man, cornered... um, how do we say this... turned himself into a goat. (That's the actual goat/suspect pictured.) Even as a goat, "he" was apparently just as easy to catch, and the vigilantes took the goat to the police station.

According to Reuters, a police spokesman said "We cannot confirm the story, but the goat is in our custody. We cannot base our information on something mystical. It is something that has to be proved scientifically, that a human being turned into a goat." Yet according to Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper, which first reported the story, a police spokesman "said the goat 'armed robbery suspect' will not be left off the hook until investigations into the case are concluded." We will wait for justice to do its thing, but this comes as no surprise to us - everybody knows that goats love Mazdas.

[Source: Vanguard via Reuters]

Nigerian goat held by police, accused of armed carjacking originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>africaanimalscarjackingetcgoatgoatshumornigeriapoliceSat, 24 Jan 2009 09:07:00 EST<![CDATA[Ganked CA Senator's dubbed-out Charger on eBay]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/22/ganked-ca-senators-dubbed-out-charger-on-ebay/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/22/ganked-ca-senators-dubbed-out-charger-on-ebay/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/22/ganked-ca-senators-dubbed-out-charger-on-ebay/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click for more high-res images of the taxpayer-funded blingmobile

You may remember the December story involving 62-year-old California State Senate President Pro Tem, Don Perata (D - DUB City Oakland), who got his name in the paper after being jacked at gunpoint for his red 2006 Dodge Charger R/T. Of great amusement to everyone was the news that the Senator apparently rolled with mad flavor. His state-owned HEMI Charger, you see, was fitted with a set of 22" Panther wheels that are straight blingin'. So incongruous was the mental image of Perata rolling on deuce deuces that the police officer taking the carjacking call had to confirm what he'd heard, asking, "We're talking about the suspect's car or the senator's car?"

Anyway, the Senator came through the incident unscathed and the Dodge was later recovered, dubs intact. Good thing, too, because that very car is up for grabs on eBay. You can now rock the party like Don Perata once did. Beyond the flying saucers sitting in the wheel wells, the Charger is stock, with the 5.7L HEMI and full Tupperware/faux wood interior. There are no bids yet, but a "Buy It Now" figure of $24,500 beckons aspiring players. As for the Senator, we wonder what the state has obtained for him this time around. Seeing as he's now shed his 22" training wheels and is ready step things up a level, perhaps Big Don will have the taxpayers set him up with something like this. It seems like it might suit his tastes.

Gallery: CA State Senator Don Perata's '06 Dodge Charger R/T


[Source: eBay via Jalopnik]

Ganked CA Senator's dubbed-out Charger on eBay originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2006 dodge charger2006DodgeChargerCalifornia State SenateCaliforniaStateSenatecarjackingcharger on dubsChargerOnDubsdon perataDonPerataSenate President Pro temSenatePresidentProTemFri, 22 Feb 2008 14:04:00 EST<![CDATA[Carjackers beware! New bill in Tennessee allows "deadly force" against attackers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/15/carjackers-beware-new-bill-in-tennessee-allows-deadly-force-a/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/15/carjackers-beware-new-bill-in-tennessee-allows-deadly-force-a/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/15/carjackers-beware-new-bill-in-tennessee-allows-deadly-force-a/#commentsFiled under:

Apparently the increase in violent crimes in Tennessee is leading legislators to take some unprecedented actions. They have filed bills that would increase the rights of citizens to bear arms and use those arms with deadly force in certain situations. Like during a carjacking. One bill in particular would allow motorists to kill an attacker that they feel is threatening to "murder, rape, kidnap, rob or carjack the car's occupants." Filing the bill was Rep. Ulysses Jones and Sen. Reginald Tate, two Memphis Democrats. "I've heard a lot of support for this. It's time to give citizens the opportunity to protect themselves. Right now, we're at the mercy of what I call 'scum'," said Jones, a Memphis Fire Department paramedic.

The important shift here is that potential victims had only been allowed the right of defense inside their homes. Extending the right to outside the home, and particularly to a motorist in a vehicle, is a dramatic change. The NRA has helped push similar laws through in Florida, but Tennessee is believed to be the first effort to extend rights to motorists. These so-called "No Retreat" laws change the burden of attackees so that fleeing isn't the only option. Standing your ground and defending yourself and your property is allowed instead.

[Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal]

Carjackers beware! New bill in Tennessee allows "deadly force" against attackers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carjackinggun lawsGunLawsMemphisNRARep. Ulysses JonesRep.UlyssesJonesSen. Reginald TateSen.ReginaldTateThu, 15 Feb 2007 15:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Gunmen ambush Toyota F1 team members in Sao Paulo]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/22/gunmen-ambush-toyota-f1-team-members-in-sao-paulo/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/22/gunmen-ambush-toyota-f1-team-members-in-sao-paulo/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/22/gunmen-ambush-toyota-f1-team-members-in-sao-paulo/#commentsFiled under: ,

Toyota F1

It's no secret that Sao Paulo can be a dangerous place. Business travelers who frequent the city will be able to tell you about the precautions companies recommend they take to protect themselves. Don't leave the hotel. If you do, don't walk alone. Don't carry a laptop (it makes you an instant target for robbery). Wait for taxis inside the lobby. (Example: Criminals will case the hotels, looking for obvious business travelers waiting outside. This lets them see exactly what car they get into so that they can follow it and stage a carjacking once it's away from the hotel.)

Still, precautions or not, the chance for a run-in with criminals is still good -- something members of the Toyota F1 team learned firsthand this weekend. The car carrying Toyota spokesperson Fernanda Villas-Boas and other team personnel was one in a group of vehicles ambushed by around 20 gun-wielding teens about 2 miles from the venue for this weekend's F1 Grand Prix of Brazil.

According to Villas-Boras, who at one point had a gun pointed at her head as she sat in the car, shots were fired at them as they fled, but fortunately no one was injured. Neither Ralf Schumacher nor Jarno Trulli were among those attacked. In any case, it would seem that the Grand Prix of Brazil is something best enjoyed on television, in the comfort and safety of home.

Thanks to reader Brian McPhail for the tip!

[Source: ESPN]

Gunmen ambush Toyota F1 team members in Sao Paulo originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Oct 2006 07:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ambushcarjackinggunmensao paoloSaoPaoloSun, 22 Oct 2006 07:48:00 EST<![CDATA[Quartet of women in formalwear carjack California man]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/25/quartet-of-women-in-formalwear-carjack-california-man/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/25/quartet-of-women-in-formalwear-carjack-california-man/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/25/quartet-of-women-in-formalwear-carjack-california-man/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In what can only be described as an unconventional auto theft, a Suisun City, California man was beaten and carjacked by four formally-dressed women while parking at a 7-Eleven Sunday night.

The gang of four females, estimated to be in their early 20s represented having a gun to the victim's back, and forced him to follow another vehicle to a different location, where he was beaten via hands, feet and an "unknown object." The villainous vixens thereafter relieved the driver of his gold-colored 1997 Volvo 850.

The car hasn't been seen since.

[Sources: Bay City News via SFGate; FilmFanzine.com]

Quartet of women in formalwear carjack California man originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>7-117-Elevencar jackcarjackcarjackedcarjackingFantastic FourFantasticFourfemale criminalsFemaleCriminalsJessica AlbaJessicaAlbaVolvoVolvo 850Volvo850Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:35:00 EST