Suspected truck thief didn’t know how to drive a stick shift, police say

BOULDER, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - Police in Colorado said a stick shift thwarted the plans of a suspected truck thief.

Authorities posted details of what happened on social media, saying they received report of a truck that crashed into a fire hydrant on Friday at around 4:30 p.m. along Airport Boulevard.

“It turns out the woman had just been released from jail after stealing a car the day prior, and as she walked about half a mile down the road, she looked inside the truck, saw the keys, got inside and drove off. Sort of,” Boulder police wrote. “When she couldn’t figure out how to drive the truck’s manual transmission, she jumped out and tried to leave the area on foot. The truck then crashed into the hydrant.”

Police said no one was hurt in the crash and the truck was returned to its owner.

The suspect, who was not publicly identified by police, was charged with second-degree motor vehicle theft, careless driving, driving without a valid license and duty upon striking an unattended vehicle or other property.

“Not a standard recommendation for car theft prevention, but this past Friday a stick shift kept a thief from getting far in a stolen car,” police added.