Victim's family: Carjacker hid in backseat, then attacked

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) - Police said a driver was shot in the chest Sunday morning by a man attempting to carjack him.

According to the victim's family, the suspect got into the victim's unlocked car while he was at work. The carjacker then hid in the backseat of the car and waited until the victim was driving to surprise him.

At around 7:15 a.m., the suspect jumped up in the backseat and surprised the victim at the intersection of Old Trail Road and State Road 5 in Whitley County.

The victim's family told NewsChannel 15 that he saw the attacker had a gun, so he jumped into the backseat to wrestle the gun away. That's when the victim was shot.

According to police, the driver of the car was shot in the chest with a small caliber gun and was transported to the hospital in serious condition.

Although the victim was hurt, police said he was able to gain control of the gun from the suspect. He held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived.

Police said the suspect is Dakota Kimbler, 17. Kimbler escaped from Pierceton Woods, a juvenile detention facility, on Friday, December 8.