Orange County woman accused of stealing U-Haul with autistic man sitting in it
A woman is suspected of stealing a U-Haul Box truck that had a man with autism inside. Both the man and U-Haul have been located, but the suspect has not yet been identified.
The incident took place at around 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22nd. While the caregiver of the man with autism was inside the Anaheim Department of Motor Vehicles on the 3100 block of West Lincoln Avenue, the U-Haul box truck the caregiver had rented was stolen. Inside the U-Haul was James Blackwood, a 63-year-old man with the mental age of a 4-year-old.
The 2011 GMC U-Haul box truck was seen going northbound on Western Avenue from Lincoln Avenue, driven by a thin, white female suspect with long blonde hair and a white bandana covering her face.
That evening, Anaheim police released photos of Blackwood and the vehicle. They soon received a tip that a vehicle matching the description of the stolen U-Haul was seen at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles.
Detectives traveled to Los Angeles in search of Blackwood and the vehicle and located them both at 8 a.m. on Thursday. Thankfully, Blackwood was found to be “in good health,” according to Anaheim police.
The U-Haul was found parked in a residential area in the 3000 block of South La Brea Boulevard of Los Angeles. No further information about the suspect’s identity or whereabouts has been reported.
