"These little (expletive) stole my car!" His truck taken, he took off after it -- the whole thing caught on camera
MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man said the cold weather is to blame after his truck was stolen. Thieves struck as he was warming it up. He got it back, however, after chasing after the criminals -- the whole thing caught on camera.
"Like I said, I was angry. I was mad -- and I wanted my stuff back," Daunte Ealy said.
Daunte Ealy
Ealy said it all started when he stepped away from his truck on Tuesday morning, December 13th.
"I was warming up the car and keeping the car warm, and it was about two seconds," Ealy said.
His truck started rolling away.
"I ran in the middle of the street trying to catch the car, and then a lady almost hit me, and then I jumped in her car and said 'can you take me to my car? It`s right there. Please.' I`m looking at it right down the street," Ealy said.
The stranger agreed.
Daunte Ealy chases suspects who stole his truck
Ealy said they caught up to his truck a few blocks away -- where teen suspects were meeting up with a second stolen car. When they realized they were being followed, they bailed on the truck.
"Then he gets in the car, and I jump in my car, and the chase started from there," Ealy said.
Ealy began streaming live on Facebook.
Daunte Ealy goes live on Facebook as he's chasing suspects who stole his truck
"These little (expletive) stole my car!" Ealy said in the Facebook Live video.
Ealy chased the thieves down snow-covered streets -- even on the wrong side of the road. Looking back, Ealy said he wasn't thinking clearly.
"I really didn`t care at the time. I just wanted my stuff back," Ealy said.
Daunte Ealy chases suspects who stole his truck
Ealy said in addition to the truck, the suspects stole cash and credit cards. And this wasn't the first time Ealy's had a vehicle stolen from him.
"I ain`t want to take no loss with this car, so I just went with it," Ealy said.
Daunte Ealy chases suspects who stole his truck
During the chase, the video shows one person bailing from the vehicle -- and eventually, all of the suspects were able to get away.
Ealy said he shared the video to show how quickly things like this can happen.
"Don`t leave your keys in the car. Stay outside with your car until it warms up," Ealy said.
Ealy said this chase will be his last.
"It`s a lesson learned for me, too. Never to do it again. Ever," Ealy said.
Ealy is a father, a student and he works overnight. He said he simply didn't want to be without a vehicle again. He admitted that he put his life in danger, and the lives of others.
Milwaukee police discourage taking matters into your own hands in situations like this. You should call police, and let them handle it.
Police said there have been nearly 6,000 vehicle thefts in Milwaukee in 2016 -- but the good news is that's down 14 percent from 2015.