Bianca Chambers didn’t hesitate to take the law into her own hands.
According to Fox 2, the Detroit business owner spent days searching for her Mercedes Benz after it was stolen Monday from a retail store parking lot. Chambers said just hours after the vehicle went missing, she spotted an unidentified man driving it about 4 miles from where she last saw it. The 32-year-old boutique owner told Detroit News she called the police as she pursued the vehicle, but was told stop the chase out of concern for her safety. She saw the car again later that night, but this time it was parked at a strip mall where her business is located.
“That scared me,” she said. “I mean, I don’t even know this man, and he’s parked right near my business.”
Chambers said she called the police multiple times during her days-long search, but officers failed to retrieve the vehicle. She also took to Facebook seeking information about the Mercedes’ whereabouts and eventually received a message from someone who claimed they had seen it parked outside a nearby salon.
The woman then drove to the establishment, spotted her car, and slashed the tires before going inside the salon to confront the suspected thief.
“I sliced all four of the tires so he couldn’t drive away,” she explained.
Chambers then began a Facebook Live stream in which she is heard asking a man, “You got that Benz out there? … Yes, you do, b*tch!” The camera then begins to shake as a scuffle then ensues.
Police say they reviewed video that showed the alleged car thief being dragged out of the salon by his locs. It’s reported that other individuals at the estasblishment held the suspect down until police arrived at the scene. Prior to officers’ arrival, Chambers began a brief Facebook Live broadcast in which she claimed she was making a citizen’s arrest; However, Detroit officials say her actions were illegal.
“We’ve got a victim who allegedly stole this car who was assaulted, but he didn’t want to press charges, so (Chambers) wasn’t arrested,” Detroit Police Deputy Chief Rudy Harper said. “But that wasn’t a citizen’s arrest; it was a felonious assault. She even admits on the video that she assaulted the man.”
Officials say Chambers could’ve been arrested for assault, but the alleged car thief chose not to press charges. The suspect was taken into custody and charged with possession of stolen property.
