Approximately two out of three adult American motorists keep a gun with them when they drive. That’s a whole lot of firepower on US streets. And as one car thief recently learned, it’s a dangerous place to try to steal a car. 

A social media video shows a man holding a car thief at gunpoint after the man tried to steal his manual car

A popular Instagram video shows a vehicle owner brandishing a gun and shouting orders at a man as he lies on his stomach. The apparent hostage had tried to steal the gun-wielding driver’s car. But before he could jump in and drive off into the ether, the owner had him flat on his belly and on the business end of a handgun with a comically long extended magazine. 

The would-be thief remained motionless, lying prone on the ground and trying not to escalate the situation further. At one point, it seems like a bystander asks what the gun-wielding vehicle owner is doing. He responded, saying that he would put the gun down only after the police arrived. 

He then jabbed at the car thief about his potential ability to drive his vehicle. “And it’s a stick. Can you even drive a stick?” he shouted at the man. It’s not a crazy question, either. According to data from U.S. News and World Report, just 18% of American adults can drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. It turns out that a three-pedal car is a pretty helpful anti-theft device. 

By the video’s end, two police cruisers were on the scene. Officers loaded the car thief into the back of a police department Dodge Charger. Fortunately, the man in the video exercised some restraint and didn’t fire at the criminal. Although he wasn’t exactly subtle about his desire to shoot the man. “On my mom, I wanted to shoot him so bad,” he said in the video. Thankfully, he didn’t shoot, instead leaving the criminal to the police. 

Check out the full social media video below! But be warned: some viewers may consider the language distressing.