Plumber Tried Saving 80-Year-Old Woman From Fatal Carjacking

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More times than we can count we’ve been told that carjackings won’t be violent if victims just comply. Yet we keep running across disturbing cases like this one out of Seattle where an 80-year-old woman was killed by a carjacker, a stark reminder that this crime wave is dangerous and needs to be brought in check.

Teenage boy shot while protecting his mom during a carjacking.

The serenity of a Seattle neighborhood was shattered on August 20 when bloodcurdling screams sounded for help. Ruth Dalton, an elderly woman known for her dog walking business, had her Subaru Forester carjacked by a man who in turn ran her over with the car, killing her.

Many came rushing out of their homes to see what the commotion was about, but it was a plumber driving by who was first on the scene. When he tried helping the elderly woman, who was hanging out of the driver’s door as the suspect was reversing the vehicle, the carjacker took at swipe at the plumber using a pocketknife.

Realizing he needed an answer to the weapon, the plumber ran back to his truck and grabbed a baseball bat. He used that to break out the back window, allowing some of the dogs in the cargo area to jump to freedom.

Sadly, Hanes wasn’t so lucky. The plumber tried protecting her but the other man decided her vehicle was worth more than her life.

Dalton’s beloved dog which was riding up front was found dead later. The carjacker couldn’t even let the animal live.

The suspect was tracked down after police found the carjacked Subaru dumped on the side of a road. Processing the car, they lifted a good fingerprint and positively identified the guy. That likely means he has a criminal record and so his prints are on file.

Image via King 5 Seattle/YouTube

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