A man stole an Amazon delivery van and ended up crashing into parked cars in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles Friday morning, police said.
The vehicle was stolen on W. 21st Street near S. Longwood Avenue at around 7:30 a.m., according to the van’s driver.
The driver said he hopped out of the truck to drop off a package and turned back around within seconds, only to find a man sitting in his car.
“Somebody was in the van waiting,” said Gabriel Tapia whose Amazon delivery truck was stolen. “So as soon as I stepped on the van, they turned it on, and they put it on drive. As soon as that happened, I just jumped out because I was thinking about my life.”
But the suspected thief did not go very far: he ended up crashing the stolen car into at least three parked cars a couple of blocks away, the the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.
Tapia said he also ran down to catch up with the van and found the aftermath.
One of the victims said his car no longer has a back end after he witnessed the theft and collision real time.
“I heard the sound. I saw the guy who stole the truck,” Jorge Granera said.
Tapia, who’s been delivering for Amazon for seven months, said he is afraid he would lose his job because he left the keys inside the van despite the forewarning from the company not to do so.
“I never missed a day, and I love my job. Now this happened,” the driver said. “They told us, ‘You get the van stolen, then you get termination.’ It sucks because i have a family. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
The family member of a victim said it shouldn’t the driver’s sole responsibility as he said Amazon delivery workers are under pressure to do their jobs quickly.
“If you ask me, (it’s) the company’s fault,” said Matthew Vanek. “I talked to (Tapia) for a second, and he said he still had hundreds of orders to do still. I feel bad for him. It’s not fair.”
Amazon told NBC Los Angeles that delivery drivers’ safety during package deliveries are the company’s priority. It did not say whether Tapia would be fired from his job.
No one was injured during the ordeal.
As it happened the day after Thanksgiving Day, three people whose cars were damaged in the collision said they were grateful that at least no one was near or inside the cars.
“Last night, I had my family over. We were doing prayers, talking about small blessings that come your way. This happens, but it’s okay,” Granera said.
Another victim, Tallie LaFleur, whose car may be totaled from the incident, also said no injuries happened even through it was a big crash.
“I mean, someone could have really been hurt or putting stuff in their vehicles,” LaFleur said. “They had to be going pretty fast because even my sunroof was partially open.”
The suspect’s information was not immediately available.
The LAPD said the delivery van was in its custody but did not elaborate on the whereabouts of the suspect.
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