Police officers don’t like it when someone steals a car left warming up on a cold day. They like it even less when the thief speeds off to evade arrest. But they really don’t appreciate it when a suspect drives over an officer’s foot in the process. A “prolific car thief” from the U.K. is now spending 16 weeks in jail to think about what he could have done differently.
Terrance Hannefin, 36, stole the car from outside a shop in Coventry, England. He didn’t get very far before someone reported it stolen. Police soon spotted Hannefin sitting in the driver’s seat of the parked vehicle a short distance away. Officers approached the vehicle and that’s when Hannefin finally decided he wasn’t sticking around. He threw the car into reverse and floored it.
Bodycam footage sealed his fate
The boneheaded move dragged two police officers along with the vehicle. Hannefin ran over one officer’s foot. Both officers suffered minor injuries that required hospital treatment.
Fortunately, the officers were wearing body cameras. The department reviewed the footage and identified Hannefin, whom police described as a “prolific car thief.” Officers went to his home later that day. They found the stolen car abandoned on a nearby street.
The judge appeared equally fed up. After Hannefin pleaded guilty, the court convicted him of theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a shop, and two counts of assault on police officers. He also faced charges for driving without insurance and driving with a suspended license. The judge immediately sentenced him to 16 weeks in jail. In the U.S., he might already be back on the street awaiting his next court date. Apparently, in England the law doesn’t mess around.
