Virginia man caught in bizarre car theft attempt

Authorities reported on Tuesday that a man, equipped with a gun, chainsaw, hammer, and brass knuckles, broke into a residence, attempted to steal a car from another neighbor, and then went on to target several other homes in a Stafford County, Virginia, neighborhood. He was apprehended several hours later.

After a nearly three-hour manhunt, 26-year-old Devin Laws from Blackwater, Virginia, was located in the woods behind the Rappahannock Landing subdivision, claiming to deputies he was there for landscaping work. Laws faces charges of breaking, attempted carjacking, and numerous other offenses.

According to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, the incident on Musselman Road began just before 7 a.m. on Monday. A woman reported that while parked in her driveway, a man wielding a chainsaw in one hand and a hammer in the other approached her vehicle. He attempted to open her car door and raised the hammer as if to smash the car window.

As deputies searched the area, another resident flagged them down and told them he woke up to a noise in his home at 6:30 a.m. When he went to investigate the noise, authorities said, he encountered the same individual in his house, who ran away upon seeing the homeowner.

According to Fox News, other residents reported to the sheriff’s office that the suspect rang their doorbells. K-9s tracked the suspect toward Interstate 95, locating various pieces of clothing and the chainsaw — which deputies said was stolen — along the way. Authorities also said they recovered a handgun during the search.

Source: Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Fox News