Attempted carjacking on way back to Santo Domingo

Status
Not open for further replies.

domilinguist

New member
Feb 22, 2008
119
10
0
Ok, here goes...

A couple of nights ago, I was driving back to Santo Domingo at around 9.00 p.m. As I was approaching Boca Chica, I found a vehicle stopped over two lanes, forcing me to slow down. I was a little disturbed by this but did not stop and carried on driving as usual. The car then purposely came up beside me and tried to force me off the road. It eventually stopped infront of me again and this time I came screeching to a halt.

I realised pretty quickly that I was in a very dangerous situation so once again drove round the vehicle and tried to get away. They attempted to force me off the road again and this time stopped sideways over two lanes and a guy in the car opened the door and stood in the middle of the third lane trying to make me stop. I think he had something in his hand, but cannot say for certain.

I reversed, drove round them and sped away to try and avoid them. When I eventually reached Boca Chica, I stopped, absolutely terrified, at the petrol station to catch my breath and ensure that they were not following me anymore.

I am not sure if they were drunk and thought they were being funny or if this was a genuine attempt to rob me. I am, unfortunately, inclined to believe the latter. Either way, I had no time to get any license plate numbers or got a good enough look to recognise the men in the car.

Have any other DR1 readers had a similar experience? It has certainly made me think twice about driving on my own after dark...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Celt202

mido

Bronze
May 18, 2002
1,522
14
38
I think you had dropped your wallet on the road and they were simply trying to give it back to you.
AZB

Similar situations are adding up!!!
It happened to me some weeks ago on the highway between La Romana and Higuey. I got away by just not stopping and run.

AZB!: Don't make a joke out of this! It's happening too often lately.

This country is getting out of control!!!
 

ZEUS

Bronze
Feb 14, 2003
577
26
0
Which is why I take smoky even to the john.. Go ahead, make my day !!:chinese:
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
So this happened a couple of nights ago?

Why post this now?

I would assume that a person would post such experiences as soon as they get to a computer, you know, to warn everyone as soon as possible.

In any case, if you were really being hijacked, they would had shoot at your car which didn't happen.

Not saying it probably wasn't a robbery attempt, but it could've been so many other things too and the ambiguity of the story doesn't really pin point one way or another.

My guess, you were not being hijacked because if you were, then you would had been hijacked. They would've attempted to blow a tire or even to kill you first time you attempted to "escape".

At least that's what they did to a friend of mine when he was vacationing in Orlando. He didn't even know he was being followed until the bullet cracked the windshield. Next thing he knew was that he was with no car, no wallet, or anything with his family on the John Young Highway. That was years ago, though.

-NALs
 

Thandie

Bronze
Nov 27, 2007
694
80
0
So this happened a couple of nights ago?

Why post this now?

I would assume that a person would post such experiences as soon as they get to a computer, you know, to warn everyone as soon as possible.

-NALs

What in the world kind of response is that? Why are you giving this guy the third degree?
I know you already think tourists/expats are paranoid about crime in the DR, based on your poll.
But dont try to dismiss any reports of crime cause you think people are going to get paranoid or more paranoid.

Really what other many things could it have been?
A gang that likes to dance bachata with random people in the middle of highways? Do you think these people didnt have bad, illegal intentions?

BTW are you involved in DR tourism or real estate? Just curious.

Anyways to the OP I am glad you are safe.

And thank you for posting even though Nals doesnt think you did it in a timely manner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tamborista

scrubmuncher

On Vacation!
Jul 6, 2007
171
10
0
Carry a gun a shoot anyone stupid enough to stand in the middle of the road in darkness! We were attempted (I think) on the way to Mocha, but a quick shot out of the car window worked to get them to do off!!
 

Thandie

Bronze
Nov 27, 2007
694
80
0
Carry a gun a shoot anyone stupid enough to stand in the middle of the road in darkness! We were attempted (I think) on the way to Mocha, but a quick shot out of the car window worked to get them to do off!!

That sounds good to me! LOL
 

Danny W

Bronze
Mar 1, 2003
999
12
0
About 5 years ago on the highway east of Boca Chica a guy on a pasola drove along side me and flashed his wallet as if he was a cop and ordered me to pull over. When I didn't stop he kept after me. Finally I pulled over, and when he stopped behind me, I took off. - He gave up.

I'm on the North Coast now, and have not had this type of incident, although there plenty of roadplocks for various reasons. - D
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
But dont try to dismiss any reports of crime cause you think people are going to get paranoid or more paranoid.
Report of crime?

The OP is not even sure what the heck it was and you are already 100% sure that it was a 'crime attempt'.

Ok, maybe you have mental capabilities that are beyond those of the average person, but in my book, when a person goes through something they don't even know what the heck it was, then lets accept the fact that it could had been a host of things and the worst that comes to mind is only one of many.

In fact, most of the times we, as people, think of the worst and in the end, the worst scenario rarely turns out to be the case.

Yesterday an airplane crashed in NYC and I, like everyone else, pictured hoards of people dead. Turns out, everyone was fine and in the news, they even showed a black passenger smiling as he was being escorted to safety. Now, who actually believed that that incident was going to result in no deaths? Before it was confirmed, I think no one.

Its one of many examples of the worst not being so.

domilinguist said:
I am not sure if they were drunk and thought they were being funny or if this was a genuine attempt to rob me.

-NALs
 
Last edited:

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
In any case, if you were really being hijacked, they would had shoot at your car which didn't happen.

listen, i ain't a robber but only a moron would shot a car he is trying to hijack. driver is another thing. but why shot the tire and then go through all the trouble of changing it on an empty road, in the middle of the nigh?
and where do you put the driver's body in the meantime (realistically it's best to kill him)?
nah. you either take a car in a good shape or not all all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocky and FernieBee

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
listen, i ain't a robber but only a moron would shot a car he is trying to hijack. driver is another thing. but why shot the tire and then go through all the trouble of changing it on an empty road, in the middle of the nigh?
and where do you put the driver's body in the meantime (realistically it's best to kill him)?
nah. you either take a car in a good shape or not all all.
I think cars are hijacked for either using it as a get away vehicle in another crime or dismantling the machine to sell its parts.

Some of the most valuable parts of a car can be removed in a matter of hours and if they had the entire night to do it, well then....

Plus, changing a tire is not that big of a deal or a major time consuming act.

-NALs
 

domilinguist

New member
Feb 22, 2008
119
10
0
The reason I wrote about what happened was to find out if anything similar had ever happened to other DR1 readers. As I said, I am not sure if it was an attempt to rob me or if they were drunk and thought that what they were doing was amusing.

My point was that what happened was incredibly dangerous and terrifying, especially for a young woman driving on her own (something which I will definitely think twice about doing in the future).
 
  • Like
Reactions: FernieBee

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
The reason I wrote about what happened was to find out if anything similar had ever happened to other DR1 readers. As I said, I am not sure if it was an attempt to rob me or if they were drunk and thought that what they were doing was amusing.

My point was that what happened was incredibly dangerous and terrifying, especially for a young woman driving on her own (something which I will definitely think twice about doing in the future).
Thanks for clarifying that.

The only person that truly knows the motive behind what happened is you and, well you don't really know the motive.

Despite that other people here are already 'convinced' beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the worst possible scenario.

Gosh, I would be terrified at being tried by these people.

You're guilty----- and the trial hasn't even begun yet.

Only on DR1. :cheeky:

-NALs
 
Mar 2, 2008
2,902
544
0
"then lets accept the fact that it could had been a host of things and the worst that comes to mind is only one of many."

I think the point is that Nals seemed to be challenging the intent and purpose of the OP, and questioning the veracity of the poster, simply because he/she didn't post in what Nals considered a 'timely' fashion.

I also think it is completely legitimate to wonder about the motive behind that kind of response. Why so defensive, Nals? Is there a reason why you would want to discredit someone who is willing sharing their experience with others?

There have been other reports of similar situations, and if there is a pattern, or any connection between those reports, then we can certainly benefit from reading the anecdotal reports. Not everything has to be reduced to pure statistics.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
catcherintherye said:
I think the point is that Nals seemed to be challenging the intent and purpose of the OP, and questioning the veracity of the poster, simply because he/she didn't post in what Nals considered a 'timely' fashion.

I also think it is completely legitimate to wonder about the motive behind that kind of response. Why so defensive, Nals? Is there a reason why you would want to discredit someone who is willing sharing their experience with others?
Actually, that was a genuine question.

As for why so defensive? Well, when people attack you for not having a herd mentality, well you have to defend yourself.

No one here has proof of anything, even the OP; so for people to go around convincing themselves that it was X when it could had been Y or Z is dumb and irresponsible, IMO.

The question should be, why people in this website are bothered time and again when someone suggests something that is as plausible and counters the prevailing consensus in an issue with no proofs?

The lack of proofs doesn't mean that it was or wasn't a robbery attempt and that's all I'm trying to say.

catcherintherye said:
There have been other reports of similar situations, and if there is a pattern, or any connection between those reports, then we can certainly benefit from reading the anecdotal reports. Not everything has to be reduced to pure statistics.
Sure, like this one:

scrubmuncher said:
We were attempted (I think) on the way to Mocha

And this one:

Danny W said:
About 5 years ago on the highway east of Boca Chica a guy on a pasola drove along side me and flashed his wallet as if he was a cop and ordered me to pull over.

-NALs
 

pyratt

Bronze
Jan 14, 2007
690
100
0
I don't get the confusion in this thread.....

An "unknown value" impedes the OPs path to his destination not once, but multiple times and there's even a thought this was not a nefarious act?

Move to ramming speed, load the cannons and prepare to repel boarders...let the NP, AMET, Politur and the other uniformed criminals sort it out in the morning.
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
580
0
64
I suppose you could apply this thinking to almost any situation - if one catches an intruder breaking into your property they could merely be looking for their stray cat and the machete would be to release the cat in case it got tangled in something
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chirimoya

tht

Master of my own fate.
Oct 10, 2002
849
154
63
Planet Earth
About 5 years ago on the highway east of Boca Chica a guy on a pasola drove along side me and flashed his wallet as if he was a cop.........

That happened to me as well six, seven years ago through San Pedro, same guy on a motorbike two weeks in a row, flashing his cedula pretending to be a cop. I just slagged him off the first time, second time I was driving another car, he didn't recognize me until I told him he tried the same stunt last week, that was just too funny. I didn't need a gun to get rid of him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocky
Status
Not open for further replies.