Victim Thwarts Armed Carjacking

Police are searching for four suspects believed to have been involved in an attempted robbery and carjacking over the weekend. 

The incident began on Saturday, May 28 at about 5:15 p.m. as the victim was walking from a tobacco shop in the Fredericksburg Shopping Center at the 500 block of Jefferson Davis Highway. 

According to police, as the victim was walking toward the car, he noticed a group of four men loitering around his BMW 3-Series. Two of the suspects were in a gold Ford Ranger pickup truck, the other two were out of the truck standing next to the victim's car. The victim told police that as he neared his car, one of the suspects, who police later identified as 25-year-old Dale Stewart of Spotsylvania County, made a threatening comment about carjacking the BMW. Stewart and the other suspect then returned to the bed of the pickup truck and started to depart. 

The victim then responded to Stewart's threat, prompting Stewart and a second suspect to jump back out of the truck and surround the victim's car, yelling at the victim and demanding his car keys. The victim refused to give them up. 

Police say that Stewart inserted his hands into the victim's pants pockets in search of the keys. The victim continued to resist, at which point police say that Stewart then brandished a folding knife while demanding the keys. The suspects blocked in the victim's car in the parking lot with their truck before the victim was able to inch past his assailants. 

"It seems the only reason it stopped is because the suspect's two buddies still in the Ranger started yelling at him to get back in the truck," said Natatia Bledsoe, public information officer with the Fredericksburg Police Department. 

Bledsoe says that the victim then drove south of Route 1 before turning on to Cowan Boulevard with the intention of driving to the police station to report the incident. The suspects followed the victim until it became apparent that he was headed to police, at which point they broke off their pursuit and made a getaway. 

Afterwards, the victim told police that he first saw his assailants just prior to the incident leaving the tobacco shop. Police were able to identify Stewart through his use of a credit card at the tobacco shop. The victim later picked Stewart's photograph out of a police photo-lineup. 

Warrants have been issued for Stewart for charges of attempted robbery and attempted carjacking. Police are still searching for the remaining suspects and the investigation is ongoing. 

Police say that the decision to resist an armed robbery can be a dangerous one. 

"Personally, if I'm faced with a knife, I'm going to stop resisting at that point, but that is an absolute personal decision," said Bledsoe. "When faced with any level of assault we really recommend that you draw attention to yourself and make noise."

"This guy was outnumbered and faced with a weapon," said Bledsoe. "In this case, he was not injured and turned out okay."