Accused Austin Carjacker Stymied By Electric Car Quickly Arrested

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — An alleged Austin carjacker was stymied in his efforts to take a Chevy Bolt after he was unable to master the controls of the electric vehicle this past weekend.

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Gynerium Drive and Tom Kemp Lane in a part of the city that is in Williamson County, according to an arrest affidavit referenced by the Austin American-Statesman. The owner of the 2017 Bolt told police he had stopped an the intersection when a man approached his driver's side window demanding he exit the vehicle.

The driver tried to roll up the window of his electric ride but the suspect smashed through it, entered the car and commandeered it after the frightened owner exited the vehicle. The alleged carjacker, later identified as Cory Allen Patrick, 28, of Austin, tried to drive off but was unfamiliar with the controls of the battery-operated vehicle.

As if the scenario weren't enough of an only-in-Texas scenario in an oil-rich state that loves its fossil fuels, a witness who saw the whole thing go down ran to aid the aggrieved vehicle owner while flailing a machete. Patrick — who may not have grasped the controls of the Bolt — clearly understood the business end of a machete and exited the vehicle himself.

Recent legislation in Texas allows owners of all manner of weaponry — handguns, rifles, sabers, swords, machetes, Bowie knives and the like — to display them openly, a move that originally started as a nod to the Second Amendment. Since being championed by Gov. Greg Abbott, the legislation has made the open display of weapons an increasingly common sight in Texas — particularly at sporadic rallies by gun rights advocates staged on the grounds of the Capitol. For good measure after passing the "open carry" and "campus carry" law allowing public display of guns by licensed owners, the state threw in machetes and other long blades for good measure.

But back to our story. Upon seeing the machete, Patrick is said to have exited the Chevy Bolt faster than a horned lizard on a hot sidewalk in the Texas summer. The machete-wielding Good Samaritan followed Patrick until police arrived to detain him. The car owner was surprisingly empathetic to Patrick's downfall, telling police his electric ride did take "some getting used to," according to the affidavit.

As of Tuesday, Patrick was still behind bars at the Williamson County Jail with bail set at $20,000. He's been charged with robbery by assault, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Just another day in Texas.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Cory Allen Patrick booking photo via Williamson County Jail records