Woman throws can of soup to stop man from stealing car with baby inside, police say

Search ongoing for Volusia County carjacking suspect

HOLLY HILL, Fla. – The search is on for a man involved in the theft of one vehicle and tried to steal another with a woman and baby inside, according to the Holly Hill Police Department.

The incident began Monday when a red convertible Mercedes was reported stolen in Daytona Beach Shores. 

Around noon on Tuesday, the car fishtailed, causing it to crash head-on into a supply truck on 6th Street and Center Avenue, and then the car caught on fire, authorities said.

"That's when the Mercedes caught on fire and then everybody saw that there was an unconscious person in the passenger seat," the truck driver said.

Police said the passenger in the stolen Mercedes was unconscious and had to be taken to a hospital while the driver got out and tried to steal a Nissan Pathfinder.

A woman says she threw a can of soup to stop a man who attempted to take her car in Holly Hill, Fla. (Image: Loren Korn/WKMG)

Dean Gill got out of the Pathfinder and got a fire extinguisher to try to put out the Mercedes' flames, not realizing someone was trying to steal his vehicle, according to authorities.

Officials said a woman who was in the Pathfinder with her baby yelled and threw a can at soup in an attempt to stop the carjacking, but didn't hit the man.

"She was threatening to beat him up with a can of soup. 'You ain't taking my damn car' and then he turned around and took off. And then the passenger, he's still in the passenger seat unconscious, on fire, and as you can see the car, I put it out," Gill said.

He ran off without stealing the Pathfinder and as of 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, has not been located.

"It appears that he got out of the area, possibly with the help of another acquaintance," Holly Hill Police Chief Steve Aldrich said.

The passenger in the stolen vehicle, 22-year-old Antonio Harper, will face charges because he had a stolen gun in his possession, authorities said.

The two people inside the supply truck were not injured.

Check back for more updates on this developing story.


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