Carjacked (the details)

[Andris Laivins]

sorry if you've already seen this on another list; i didn't post here
yesterday when it happened..

Ok, here's the full report:  . It was about 1:30am last night, and I was
getting home late from Hotshot because I'd been building a different
downpipe for my car.  I live in a duplex in Venice, with a garage that faces
the alley.  I pulled into the alley, of course didn't see anything unusual,
and stopped the car just short of the garage door (power opener is broken).
Shut the car off, took out the keys, got out, and walked around into my yard
to open the garage.  Got in the garage, unlocked the big door, swung it up.
There was a dude walking away from my car and I pretty much realized I was
probably fucked, but there was nothing I could really do at that point.  He
said "hey, you got a light for a cigarette?" I said no, he pulled out a
revolver, pointed it at my chest and basically said "you move, I'll smoke
you"  and a bunch of other stuff.  I cooperated.  He told me to put the keys
in the ignition, then to start it.  I stuck my leg in through the cage and
started it (took three or 4 tries, with a lot of backfiring and crap; the
car isn't running right yet). I said "the clutch is really stiff."
(double-diaphragm clutchnet, not adjusted correctly yet...) At that point,
seeing that the car wasn't going to be too easy to drive, gets pissed and
demands my wallet.  The whole time this is going on he repeatedly threatens
to kill me.  I fumble around in the car for the wallet, pull it out and he
asks for all the cash.  I didn't have shit in there except receipts; I
pulled out the two dollars that was in there , handed it to him ,and he got
really mad, demanded to know where the rest of the money is, etc.. I told
him that was all I had.  He was getting pretty pissed.  He made me lie down
in the alley on my stomach with the gun pointed at my back, and told me if i
moved, he was going to shoot me.  he got in the car, and tried to drive off,
but he stalled it three or 4 times ( the clutch is really hard to drive at
the moment).  I thought for sure i was going to get shot then because he
couldn't get away with the car.  He finally got it going and took off.  I
got up and called 911.   Thats really the end of the , uh, 'exciting part'.

He made off with: my white 92 SE-R, NX rims, my 2-day-old self-designed and
built custom turbo kit (not tuned right/finished) and all supporting
hardware, a MOMO race seat, 2 Sparco harnesses, my racing gloves, ALL my
hand tools, a grinder, my impact wrench, Kojima's drill (sorry mike!), my
digital still camera, digital video camera, 2 backpacks, an extra ECU, a
bunch of clothes, keys to my house, garage, other car, and years of my work
and care on that car - it was my baby.  All that stuff was in there because
I've basically been living at the shop the last 4 days trying to finish the
car for the SE-R cup race this weekend.  Everyone please keep an eye out for
anything that comes up for sale anywhere.   If you live in socal, its a
white b13, extensive white roll cage, looks pretty lame from the outside: nx
rims, really dirty, HS performance, NASA, and ClutchNet stickers, duct tape
all over the sunroof hole, Loud-ass exhaust..  just keep your eyes open.
The car had Texas plates on the car, and there were California plates in my
backpack.  I'm glad I'm alive, and I have to force myself to remember that
it is just an object... Everyone please tell your family and friends how
much you care about them - it would really suck to go out like that not
having told someone you love them..

Finally, THANK YOU everyone who has emailed and called with kind words,
offers to help, support, etc.. It really makes me feel great that we really
do have a community and how everyone has been so helpful.  It has really
helped soften the blow.  Within a couple of hours of my original posts, I'd
gotten several emails from people offering to share/give a car to me for the
SERCA track event on friday, give me rides anywhere, do ANYTHING..  again,
thanks guys, I truly appreciate it.

my last picture : www.monkey-r.com/uhoh.jpg (this is NOT anything like the
new HS kit, before rumors get started.  Its a one-off I did)

Andris Laivins