LAGUNA HILLS — A would-be carjacker is behind bars after he chose the wrong woman as his victim.
Rosalinda Ruiz, who is only 4 foot 11 inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds, says she punched the man after he jumped into her car while she was filling up her gas tank at a Laguna Hills gas station early Wednesday morning. Even though she was a foot shorter than the carjacker, she says she wasn’t giving up without a fight.
“I punched him and screamed. I worried he may have a gun, but I wasn’t going to let him have my car,” Ruiz said. Authorities identified the suspect as Cristhian Bonilla, 24. Deputies had spotted Bonilla just a few minutes before the carjacking attempt pushing a blue GMC Jimmy on the right shoulder of the nearby Interstate 5 freeway, according to Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s department.
The deputy asked the man if he needed help, but the man said no. It turns out that blue Jimmy was a stolen car that had broken down. About 15 minutes later, deputies received a call from Ruiz, who said the man was trying to steal her car. Ruiz said Bonilla grabbed her keys and was trying to put them in the ignition. She said she struggled with him for several minutes and was able to get ahold of the keys and take them back. He also tried to grab her purse, but she held on tight.
Ruiz says she continued to scream and punch him inside the car until he gave up, opened the door and ran away.
Deputies spotted Bonilla a block away and immediately took him into custody.
Be the first to comment