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SALT LAKE CITY — Police are looking for a man who stole a woman's vehicle after she left it running outside, officials said.
The woman left her keys in the ignition to warm her car up around 11 p.m. Sunday at 533 S. 500 West when she came outside and saw the man sitting in the driver's seat, according to Salt Lake police Sgt. Robin Heiden
She then confronted him and he began slapping and punching her before driving away. The woman was partially in the car when he began to drive, but she realized she could get hurt and got out of the way, Heiden said.
The woman was not badly injured.
The car is described as a black 2015 Dodge Dart, and the man who stole it is described as a white male with a medium build and facial hair.
Heiden said the best thing one can do in the situation is to get a really good description of the person but not to confront them.
In Salt Lake City, between 200 and 300 cars are stolen while left running each year. A lot of insurance companies will not cover a stolen car if its owner leaves the keys in the ignition while it's running, Heiden said.
She said these cars are easy to spot when it's cold outside, because one can drive down the street and see the exhaust coming from the car.
Heiden said people should resist the urge to keep their car running to warm it up when it gets cold outside so someone can't steal it.
"Always make sure that you have your car locked and when you do warm it up in the morning, make sure you're scraping the windows as you're doing that instead of letting it run while you're inside your house," Heiden said.
If you have information regarding this case, call the Salt Lake City Police Department at (801) 799-3000 or send an anonymous text to 274637 by typing the keyword TIPSLCPD first, then including relevant information.
