After a car thief stole her Mercedes-Benz, the hardworking owner was determined to find the culprit. Incredibly, she managed to track him down and deliver the perfect punishment — and it was all caught on camera.
Detroit resident Bianca Chambers works hard for everything she owns. So, when her Mercedes-Benz was stolen, she wasn’t waiting for the police to eventually, hopefully, track down the culprit and recover whatever was left of her property. As such, she decided to do her own detective work.
For two days, Chambers drove around the city in an attempt to locate her car. She tracked it down four different times and called the police to report that she had found it. She even saw it parked at a strip mall where she owns a boutique. However, by the time officers would arrive, the suspect had already driven away with it. So, she came up with a different plan.
The fifth time she spotted her vehicle, Chambers decided to take matters into her own hands rather than wait for the police to show up. Adamant to get her car back, the indignant owner headed into the barbershop where it was parked and picked out the culprit. It was then that her adrenaline took over.
Chambers confronted the suspect, 19-year-old Michael Tolbert, asking him, “Excuse me, you got the Benz out there?” Although his reply is unclear, it was enough to set off Chambers. Within an instant, she had yanked him out of the barber chair and began dragging the visibly surprised suspect out of the shop by his dreadlocks.
Along with the help of several witnesses, Chambers made a citizen’s arrest while she waited for the police to arrive. However, she also slashed all four of her own tires just to make sure he wasn’t able to escape, she told WJBK.
“I slashed all the tires and I thought that he was gonna take off and I didn’t know how long it was going to take for the police to pull up and I refused to let him pull off again,” she said.
Chambers was pleasantly surprised that her car was spotless when she recovered it. She says the thief got it detailed so he could take it “joyriding” with his buddies. As for driving a stolen vehicle in broad daylight, Chambers says it’s something only “the dumbest criminal” would do.
“I’m sorry to say but I don’t regret anything,” Chambers said. “I feel like I did my job. I did what I was supposed to do.”
Tolbert apparently has a history of car theft and breaking into vehicles. At age 17, he was charged with taking valuables from vehicles in parking lots and stealing a car that had the keys left in it. It was estimated that he took $1,700 worth of goods.
In the case of Chambers’ car, Tolbert was charged with receiving and concealing stolen property worth $20,000 or more. He was given a personal bond but was reprimanded on a probation violation from a recent case.
“I’m glad he’s in jail,” she said. “Once a thief, always a thief.”
Although Michael Tolbert could have pressed assault charges against Bianca Chambers for dragging him out of the chair by his hair, he has opted out, perhaps due to embarrassment.
While Chambers has been lauded for her tenacity, her actions aren’t something police officials recommend. Still, it’s easy to understand why she took matters into her own hands rather than letting the thief get away with her car for the fifth time.
