Mom fights back during Brevard County carjacking

Suspects arrested after trying to carjack woman in driveway

MALABAR, Fla. – A Brevard County woman says her motherly instincts took over this weekend when she fought off two men who were trying to steal her car with her young daughter inside.

Amanda Beaudry, 27, spoke with Local 6 Monday about the terrifying moments that happened in the driveway of her Malabar home Saturday afternoon.

"My instincts just kicked in," she said. "I was just fighting him. There was no way he was going to get my child."

Beaudry had just strapped 18-month-old Scarlett in her car seat as they were getting ready to run some errands. But then deputies say Stephane Johnson, 20, and Kelvin Houston, 23, approached her and asked her for a ride.

"They walked right up to my driveway and said, 'Can I give you $100 for a ride,'" said Beaudry.

When she told them no, Houston ran off, but Johnson had other plans.

"He just dove right into my car, so I dove into the car and threw it into reverse," said Beaudry.

From there, she says her instincts took over. She then grabbed for the keys, and actually broke them off in the ignition.

"The car then stopped moving and I put it back into park, somehow fighting with him and kept telling me no, like 'no, no, no, no.' And by that time, the cops were here," she said.

Authorities were already in the area after the suspects dumped a car in a nearby lake they apparently stole out of Orange County.

The entire incident happened in just seconds, but for Beaudry it felt like forever.

"I guess my mother bear instincts kicked in," she said. "You really don't have any other option than to protect your own."

Both men were arrested and taken to the Brevard County jail where they're facing a number of different charges.
 


About the Author:

Justin Warmoth joined News 6 in 2013 and is now a morning news anchor.

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