Manual labor: Teens attempting carjacking thwarted by stick shift

GERMANTOWN, Md. — Two teenagers who believed that carjacking a vehicle in Maryland would be an automatic slam-dunk were thwarted by a manual transmission.

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According to a news release by the Montgomery County Police Department, two males, ages 16 and 17, attempted to steal a vehicle in Germantown on Saturday. A man had finished pumping gas at a Sunoco station and was entering his vehicle at about 4:36 p.m. EDT when the two teens ran toward him.

The teens forced the vehicle’s door open, grabbed the victim and demanded the keys. The victim complied, according to the news release.

But when the suspects tried to drive away, they realized they did not know how to operate a vehicle with a stick shift, WBAL-TV reported. They left the vehicle and shifted into a different gear, fleeing the scene on foot, according to the television station.

About 20 minutes later, officers observed the two suspects about two blocks from the gas station, according to the news release. The teens attempted to flee but were caught after a brief chase and arrested by officers.

According to police, the 16-year-old juvenile is from Rockville, while the 17-year-old is from Washington, D.C.

They were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing unit, where they were charged as adults, police said. Each juvenile is facing one count of carjacking and one count of conspiracy carjacking and are being held without bail.