HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A man who tried — and failed — to carjack another man’s Ford F-150 at a Hollywood shopping plaza turned his attention to a nearby McDonald’s and a woman’s Mercury Milan, successfully stealing the sedan, police said.
But Hollywood police said license plate reader data quickly traced the vehicle down to an area just outside of Fort Lauderdale, where the suspect was located and arrested.
6 p.m. report:
Accused carjacker Edward James Dawson, 34, of Pompano Beach, is now facing six charges.
Authorities said the one-man crime wave began just before 7:45 a.m. Wednesday when Dawson tried to steal the man’s truck while he was in the Oakwood Plaza shopping center off Stirling Road and Interstate 95.
Police said Dawson walked up to the red Ford F-150, opened the door and “began forcibly removing the victim from the vehicle” and punching him.
But, authorities said the 64-year-old victim — and a bystander — fought back.
“My nose was bleeding, all the side of my face is fairly sore,” said Kurt Decker, the owner of the red pickup. “Suddenly my door opened and I looked up into a fist and all of a sudden this guy is wailing on me and I didn’t now what was going on and he was pulling me out of the car.”
An arrest report states Dawson briefly gained control of the Decker’s keys, and the truck, hitting the bystander with the pickup in the knee.
“At that point I knew control the ignition, keep the car from leaving, and see what I could do, and it went on for a good five minutes in and out of the car,” said Decker.
Police said Decker and the bystander were able to regain control of the pickup, and Dawson took off.
Dawson left Decker bleeding from the nose and the bystander with right knee pain, the report states.
Authorities said then set his sights on the gold Mercury Milan at the nearby Golden Arches at 2690 Stirling Road, police said.
The report states a woman was inside her car waiting to order food when Dawson walked up, opened her passenger’s side door, sat down and told her, “I need this car.”
“When I looked over, he had just pulled the door, it was unlocked so before I could even lock it or anything like that, he pulled it open and just jumped in the car,” said 20-year old Khila Darrisaw.
Police said she told him “no” and asked him to get out. But, according to the report, Dawson didn’t take no for an answer, grabbing her arm and taking her keys.
“He was shoving me like out of the car, and opened the door and shoved me off and drove off like sped off in the car,” said Darrisaw.
Authorities said Fort Lauderdale police and Broward deputies were able to track down the car and Dawson to the area of Sunrise Boulevard and Northwest Ninth Court, in the unincorporated Franklin Park area, and took him into custody.
Both victims identified Dawson as the perp, according to the report.
Dawson, whose charges include carjacking, aggravated battery, and burglary with assault or battery, was being held without bond in the Broward Main Jail as of Thursday afternoon.