TACOMA, Wash. — This morning, a family in unincorporated King County was shocked at how quickly their morning routine was disrupted after a woman left her car running to pick up something in the house.
“I heard a noise and I looked out and I saw that her car was gone,” according to one of the family members, who spoke to KING 5 on the condition of anonymity. “I heard her talking to my son in the house, so I came over and said, ‘Honey, where’s your car?’ and she said, ‘What do you mean, where’s my car?’ We looked out and it was gone.”
When the family reviewed the security video, they realized just how dangerous the situation was.
A man is seen in the video getting out of a car right in front of the home, just after 7 a.m. Wednesday. The man is carrying what appears to be a shotgun. He gets into the vehicle and then drives off.
“That’s when I called the police back and said 'Okay, you guys may be dealing with a violent person',” they said. “'Forget about the car, but be aware that he’s armed'.”
Vehicle theft is a growing problem for Washingtonians.
According to the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, back in September, there were 705 vehicles reported stolen in Pierce County. In that same month, 1,431 vehicles were reported stolen in King County, averaging out to about 71 stolen vehicles a day.
Last year, the National Insurance Crime Bureau says the state saw the third highest rate of stolen vehicles in the country, ranking behind California and Texas.
The victim says he was shocked to see this kind of brazen crime happen so close to his family.
“Any other day, my 10-year-old would’ve been in the back of the car as my wife came back into the house quickly,” he recalled.
He went on to say that he hopes the police find the thief soon, but he doesn’t want to press charges. He says that he’d rather see the thief get the help he needs before someone gets hurt. However, he admits it will take some time before his family feels safe again.
“I will be sleeping with my gun next to me. I know for the next weeks, if not months, I’m going to have to walk my wife or watch her get into her car,” he said. “I have two younger children, and I want them to sleep safe and sound at night. I don’t want them to worry about some guy with a shotgun outside our window.”