When an elderly woman pulled up to a gas station, a carjacker rushed up and began beating her before speeding away with her car. However, just moments after stealing her vehicle, the violent thief was struck by karma.
Shirlene Hernandez may be advanced in years, but she is nonetheless self-sufficient. The 72-year-old has no problem navigating San Antonio and providing for herself and her husband. However, when she made her usual stop before heading to work, her routine was disrupted by a life-changing encounter.
Just as she had done many times before, Shirlene made her way into the Shell gas station at I-35 and Southcross for a soda when she was suddenly accosted by an unidentified male, KABB reported. The man grabbed her and began punching her in the face in an attempt to get her to let go of her car keys. She eventually released them, and the attacker made a break for the parking lot.
Having seen the attack, three men attempted to tackle the suspect. Still, he managed to fight them off, getting into Shirlene’s car and speeding away. The great-grandmother was left bloodied and beaten until police arrived. She was badly bruised and understandably still shaken by the assault when first responders showed up.
After police received a description of the car and the suspect, they rushed to track down the stolen vehicle. However, their search was cut short when they stumbled upon a ghastly sight less than four miles from the gas station. At Southcross and I-35, officers discovered the stolen vehicle crashed, and it was utterly destroyed. Inside was the dead body of the male suspect, having wrecked the car in a desperate bid to get away with his crime.
While still being treated for her injuries, Shirlene was notified of the fatality. Instead of celebrating her attacker’s demise, she expressed a benevolent concern for the state of his soul and reiterated that she holds no animosity toward him.
“There’s a lot of people who would say what goes around comes around, karma,” Shirlene explained. “I did not think that. I got really sad because he had died. Now, granted he had hurt me, but the Lord saw fit to take him out of his misery.”
Shirlene has grieved her attacker’s fate and can’t seem to get him out of her head. She hopes that his story will make others think twice before placing their lives in danger over a car.
“I can see that man in detail,” Shirlene said. “I have a picture in my mind of him that just doesn’t go away. I just hope that if this situation happens to anybody else, that somebody will step forward, leap forward, run forward, whatever and help the person that it’s happening to.”
After the initial shock of the incident had worn off, Shirlene Hernandez realized that she was without a vehicle, which she depends upon to provide for her family.
“I realized I don’t have a car,” Shirlene recalled. “I just don’t want to quit working and so I’ve got to somehow get another car and that takes money and stuff. I’ve got to figure out what to do.”
Shirlene had no idea that the moment she spoke those words, her fears were over. In an incredible display of charity, complete strangers donated more than $24,000 to help her get a reliable vehicle.
Shirlene and her family were astounded by the show of support as well as the donations that have poured in. In response to the generosity following the harrowing ordeal, Shirlene said she planned on getting a car and heading back to work as soon as possible.
While many would see this situation as satisfying karma, Shirlene understands the weight of the consequences her attacker suffered. No car is worth a life, and the moment that man stepped into that vehicle, he made a very unfair trade.
