A would-be car thief saved Victoria Police a job by locking himself up in a bungled attempt to steal a BMW in Baxter earlier this week.
The owner of the BMW X5 SUV had driven to a petrol station at the corner of Grant Road and Lower Somerville Road on the hunt for a late night dim-sim snack at around 10.45pm on Monday.
When the man approached the counter to purchase his snack, he looked up at the store’s security camera display and noticed the door of his vehicle being opened.
“Enraged, the man sprinted back to the car, startling the alleged offender who quickly locked himself inside the vehicle,” Victoria Police said in a statement today.
“Despite gaining access to the vehicle, he was stopped in his tracks as his efforts to start the car fell flat.
“The owner then tauntingly jiggled the car keys at the would-be thief who elected to remain in the car and wait for the police to arrive rather than risk challenging the owner or making a run for it.”
The responding officers made one of the simpler arrests of their careers and subsequently charged a 24-year-old Tooradin man with attempted theft of motor vehicle.
He was bailed to face Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 14 November.
