Wedding night heroism
By Never teh BrideA pair of California newlyweds still in their wedding finery recently faced off with a carjacker as they made their way to their honeymoon hotel. No doubt they were a tad annoyed at the delay keeping them from the bridal bed.
The Bay area’s Mercury News reported:
…a man on methamphetamines allegedly tried to steal a car with a newly married woman — still in her wedding dress — screaming in the passenger seat.
Police said Alan Ticas-Soto didn’t get far, with either the bride or the car.
Now the 21-year-old is facing felony carjacking charges and misdemeanor drug charges. He is being held in San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. Ticas-Soto, who does not have a criminal record, pleaded not guilty Monday in San Mateo County Superior Court.
The couple, who had been on their way to celebrate their first wedded night at a nearby Embassy Suites, were not injured.
“This took them a little off-track,” said Sheryl Wolcott, a San Mateo County deputy district attorney who described the details of the alleged crime.
Around 10:50 p.m, the local newlyweds had stopped off for a late night snack at the Taco Bell on East Fourth Avenue in San Mateo. The husband, in a tuxedo, got out of his 2003 Nissan Altima with the engine still running.
Ticas-Soto ran through the parking lot and leaped into the car, police said. He fiddled with the gear shift and finally managed to find reverse.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old bride — whose name was not released — was trying to unbuckle her seat belt and get away. Her husband, who had not quite made it into the fast food restaurant, ran back and opened his wife’s door, trying to help her out.
Finally, she tumbled to the parking lot, unhurt.
The suspect put the car into a forward gear and promptly smashed into the Taco Bell sign, police said. Then, he too, leaped from the car and took off running, as witnesses called police.
November 4th, 2005 at 9:56 am
The Annalucia assumes from this story that the car had a standard transmission, and that the young felon-in-training was unacquainted with same. For once, the youthful ignorance leads to a good result, or at least a result less bad than might have happened otherwise.
November 4th, 2005 at 10:18 am
For the bride who still has a long wedding veil on (or handy) and who cannot get out of the car (the first best choice for most brides in that situation), the veil thrown around the carjacker’s neck, crossed X around his neck and pulled until his face changes colour (Something Blue!), is a good second option.
November 4th, 2005 at 11:00 am
Wow, La Bella, you are obviously not the sort of bride who would let anything stand in her way! Fantastic!
November 4th, 2005 at 1:35 pm
I can’t help wondering why the newlyweds were at a Taco Bell at 11:00 p.m.
November 4th, 2005 at 2:15 pm
I live in the Bay Area and heard about this incident…
All I could think was “HOT DAMN! Taco Bell?!?! In full wedding regalia? Maybe they were a *little* (read: a metric f*ckTON) overdressed? The food at the reception was…ahem…*inferior* to the crunchwrap supremes and meximelts offered at the local Taco Bell? WTF?!?!”
Hilarious though… thanks for the post!
November 6th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
To be fair to the recently betrothed JayKay, the stresses of the shmoozing at the reception and being the center of attention often leaves couples without an appetite or time to eat. As (in my humble opinion) Taco Bell is definitely not food appropriate for marital bliss, it makes for a hilrious backdrop to this unfortunate tale….