DANIA BEACH, Fla. – A woman admits she probably made the wrong choice to go after a man who had stolen her purse from her SUV at a South Florida gas station.
Janelle Della-Libera said the whole thing happened in a "blink of an eye."
Security video from the Mobil gas station at 3991 Stirling Road in Dania Beach shows the thief scoping out the woman's car while she was pumping gas on Saturday afternoon.
The man opens the door to her vehicle and swipes her purse.
As he walks away, Della-Libera gives chase and jumps onto the hood of his car as he attempts to leave the station.
Della-Libera said her instincts took over.
"I ran around to his side of the car, got on the car, hoping that he wouldn't drive off," she said. "I reached into the driver's side. I had my hand on my handbag and, at that point, he drove off."
Pounding the man with her wallet, she continued to attack the man even after he tried to close the door on her arm.
With Della-Libera still covering the front windshield, the man drove away and the woman eventually fell off.
As Della-Libera was on the ground, the man drove his car over her leg.
"His driver side tire drove over my foot," she said.
Della-Libera suffered a sprain and numerous lacerations, but she is expected to make a complete recovery.
"He just kept cursing and calling me names in an attempt to scare me and get me off, but I think I literally scared him to death, which is what caused him to drive off," she said.
Della-Libera said she realizes what she did wasn't worth it.
"He could have killed me," she said.