KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Samantha Ruggles said a man on crutches stole her car.
The theft happened around 2:45 p.m. Sunday. Ruggles pulled up to the back door of her workplace, the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, at 39th and Main Street and ran inside to unload a few boxes.
“It happened in a matter of moments,” Ruggles said.
Meanwhile, the business’s cameras captured the man on crutches outside. He is seen walking across Main toward the building, then on another camera, is seen for a split-second on the side of the building.
He appears to be a white male with dark facial hair, wearing dark clothing and a dark ball cap.
An inside camera facing the backdoor shows the tail end of Samantha’s black 2005 Nissan Altima.
“As I was coming back, the eyewitness to the theft of my automobile comes running in as I was walking toward the door saying, ‘Samantha, someone’s got your car!’” Ruggles said.
In the surveillance video, you can see someone walk around the car, then seconds later, the car takes off – all while Samantha was inside.
Several seconds later, the owner of the business next door comes through the back door.
“Hey, is that your car? Someone just stole it!” the neighbor said.
Samantha is heard saying, “Seriously?”
The neighbor said, “The black car here. A guy came up with crutches and threw them down and jumped in and drove off.”
Samantha found the crutches on the curb.
“The eyewitness said [the thief] walked around the side of the car and they made eye contact, and there was a brief hesitation. They threw the crutches down, hopped in the car, and skedaddled,” Ruggles said.
She said the car was not running, but she’d left the keys in the ignition.
“Yes, I made the mistake of doing that. Won’t do that again, of course. I feel like something was taken from me right before my eyes,” Ruggles said.
Ruggles called police right after it happened, and filed a police report on Monday afternoon.
She’s hoping for the best, but now has no means of transportation.
“I don’t know what to say other than 'how dare you? How dare you take something that wasn't yours?'” she said to the thief.
The stolen vehicle is a 2005 black Nissan Altima with Kansas tags. It has tinted windows, a dented front end, and no grill.
Anyone with information about the car’s whereabouts or who stole it should call police immediately.
