Good Samaritans Become Car Theft Victims While Trying To Help OKC Motorist

Good Samaritans became victims themselves after stopping to help an Oklahoma City motorist.

Paul Phillips is in the Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and larceny of a vehicle.

Oklahoma City Police said Phillips nearly ran over someone while stealing a car.

"It's the craziest thing that's ever happened to me and I'm 32 years old," said Rebecca Brown.

Brown and Chris Butler pulled over at 10th and Council on Friday morning to help a driver who had totaled his SUV.

Brown now realizes leaving the keys in her car when they hopped out to help was a mistake.

"Some random guy gets in our vehicle and starts it and the guy that we were helping gets in front of our car to stop him and he runs him over," explained Brown.

Brown and Butler said Paul Phillips was just walking by when he slid into the driver's seat.

"I looked up and saw him getting in the car and you know I was stunned at first and then all of a sudden I just went into reaction to try and hop in the car," said Butler. "I guess I shouldn't have done that because I almost got run over myself,"

The driver who Brown and Butler were helping tried to stop Phillips with his body.

"I was in front of the vehicle already, so I put my hands out and next thing I know, my hands give out and I roll over the hood," said Cody Lattimore.

Brown said Lattimore's body tumbled over the length of her car and then flung to the ground when Phillips turned out of the parking lot.

She called police first and then her car dealership, which used the Mustang's GPS to lead officers to Phillips' exact location near SW 15th and Penn.

"He left the top down and he had a bottle in the car and an inhaler and his own music CD - he was rolling," said Brown.

Brown said Phillips showed no remorse for what happened to Lattimore.

"They were just being nice, you know, being Good Samaritans, and look what happened to them," said Lattimore. "I felt bad for them," he added.

Oklahoma City Police said this type of car theft is common at convenience stores and daycares.

They said people have even stolen their patrol cars when officers turned off the fail-safe device.