Saturday night a 21-year-old man, Alan Ticas-Soto, tried to steal a car with a woman still in the passenger seat. Sheryl Wilcott a deputy district attorney gave some of the details of the crime.The woman and her new husband, whose names were not released,were wanting a late night snack. They stopped at the Taco Bell on East Fourth Avenue, on their way to the Embassy Suites, the hotel they were planning to spend their wedding night. The groom was still in his Tuxedo and his new wife was still in her wedding dress.
The groom had got out of his car a 2003 Nissan Altima, and left the engine running, he did not even get inside the restaurant before Ticas-Soto ran through the parking lot and leaped into the idling car. He had a hard time getting the car into reverse and then had to fiddle with the gear shift getting the car into the right gear. The police speculate that he had difficulty because he was distracted with the frantic screams of the 22-year old bride who was still in the passenger seat, trying to unbuckle her seat belt and get away from him.
As soon as the groom realized what was happening he ran to the passenger side of the car, trying to help his wife out of the car. She finally tumbled out, landing in the parking lot. Neither of them were hurt but they were shaken up.
Ticas-Soto proceeded to put the car into a forward gear and promptly smash into a Taco Bell sigh, according to the police. He then leaped out of the car and ran away. In the meantime, witnesses called the police. Patrolling nearby, police officer Brendon Boyle noticed a man matching the suspect's description. The suspect was running southbound on South Delaware Street at Ninth Avenue. Boyle called it in and patrol cars converged on the scene. They caught Ticas-Soto and arrested him without incident. Police say he told them that he'd been taking methamphetamines for three straight days.
Ticas-Soto is now facing felony carjacking charges and misdemeanor drug charges. He is being held in San Mateo County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bail. No attorney has yet been assigned to his case by the county private defender program. Ticas-Soto does not have a criminal record, and he pleaded not guilty in San Mateo Court on Monday. If he is found guilty, Ticas-Soto could face up to nine years in state prison for the carjacking.
1 comment:
Again, you're giving me a headline, not a lead.
It's not just that the guy tried to steal the car with a woman still in it...what's makes this story unusual is that she was a brand-new bride, fresh from the wedding and still in her wedding dress. I don't find that out until the end of your really long second paragraph. That's too late.
You don't need to tell me that the deputy DA gave some details. Just give the details and say "she said" or "according to Sheryl Wilcott, a deputy district attorney...."
Tighten it up throughout. For example: The bride and groom, whose names were not released, had stopped for a late-night snack at the Taco Bell on East Fourth Avenue on their way to their hotel.
12/15
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