Woman stops attempted carjacking in Arborland Mall lot by pulling out box cutter

By Erica Hobbs AnnArbor.com Freelance Journalist

Posted on Wed, Jan 20, 2010 : 11:22 a.m.

An employee at a store in the Arborland Center thwarted an attempted carjacking in the lot Tuesday afternoon by pulling out a box cutter on her keychain, Ann Arbor police said.

Sgt. Paul Curtis said a 38-year-old Ypsilanti woman, who works in one of the shops, was sitting in her car in the 3600 block of Washtenaw Avenue during a break. A pickup truck pulled up next to her car, and a female passenger in the pickup asked for money, then cigarettes, Curtis said.

When the woman refused, the other woman then said she’d take the car and attempted to pull the victim out of the vehicle, Curtis said. The victim told the woman she carried a box cutter on her key ring and showed it to her.Â

Curtis said the pickup driver then fled the scene.

The woman was described as about 40 years old, black and about 5 feet, 8 inches tall. The victim also described a white man driving the pickup truck, but no further description was available.

The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information can call the department's tip line at 734-794-6939.