A man learned a fatal lesson when he carjacked a car that had someone’s kids inside it and the owners took action.
It was Thursday when 54-year-old Eric Hood carjacked a woman but he likely had no idea that her kids were in the car, WECT reported.
Around 9 p.m., a mother of three pulled up outside of a Philadelphia pizza shop. She left the car running with her 7-month-old and 1- and 5-year-old children still inside while she went to see their father, who works at the restaurant.
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Police told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Hood stole the Hyundai, prompting the couple to take off running behind it. Crowded roads allowed mom and dad to chase down the car and yank him from the driver’s seat.
Hood escaped their wrath, but not for long. He only got about a half block away before dad ran him down again.
The father began beating Hood. Onlookers saw what was happening and joined in.
They left Hood unconscious and suffering from injuries that later proved to be fatal. Paramedics rushed him to Temple University Hospital, but it was too late to save his life.
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The issues are many in this case as the dad and bystanders went further than is allowed but a jury could be sympathetic.
A jury consists of regular people and they could see the dad as a man protecting his kids, but that does not mean he will not be charged.
Did the dad do the right thing?
“We are working on finding out who these other men were that also assaulted the individual that subsequently died. We are trying to find out who those individuals are,” Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
“I’m not a fan of street justice. I think everything should play out through us as it comes to criminal actions,” Capt. Jason Smith, of the Philadelphia Police said.
“What happened was tragic but it’s understandable. The way the streets are today you can understand why someone would want to chase down someone who was trying to hurt their kids,” resident Kabreeze Sheed said.
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“Child could get kidnapped, taken away, never seen again, held for ransom, you never know,” Sheed said of the incident.
“At the end of the day, he got what was coming to him. I just wish it wasn’t so brutal,” he said in the interview with CBS.
Many people likely believe that the carjacker got what he deserved, as Sheed said, but that does not negate the potential charges.
The carjacker had run from the scene, the kids and family were safe, and the state is could say that the actions taken by those who attacked him were unjustified.
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But a jury that hears the case could get where the man responded to a situation where his kid’s lives were in danger and had blind rage.
The police have not identified the parents of the kids in the car or any of the other attackers and have asked anyone with information to call 911.