PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WHDH) - A Providence man recently stopped thieves from stealing his car’s catalytic converter while he was sitting inside the car, fighting off several masked individuals in an incident that was caught on camera.
Francisco Medrano had gone out for some fast food early Saturday morning. When he came back, he said he heard a car pull up behind him outside his home.
“I hear a grinding noise and I look out and I look in the passenger mirror and I see just two legs under my car, and I just jumped out,” Medrano said.
Surveillance video shows Medrano running out of his Jeep and into his driveway, where he got into a fight with masked men.
He said somebody stabbed him in the face with a saw. He said somebody also hit him with a pipe, requiring staples.
Medrano said the suspects ran off without the converter. Still, he said his Jeep needs repairs.
“I just hope that all this stops — people being real petty,” Medrano said. “Either I or they could have lost their life over something so petty.”
Catalytic converters can go for hundreds of dollars and the cost to replace them can be even higher for car owners.
Speaking this week, Medrano said this is not the first time he’s been a victim of this type of crime.
“I’ve always wondered what would happen if I caught somebody in the act, and I guess it happened,” he said.
Police said they are continuing to investigate this incident.
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