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Woman jumps on hood to stop thief from taking her car at a Milwaukee gas station

A Milwaukee woman jumped on a car to stop a thief.

<p>Photo courtesy of Melissa Smith</p>

A video of a Milwaukee woman jumping on a car to stop thieves from taking it has gone viral.

The woman was the victim of an attempted strong-armed robbery at the BP gas station, 350 N. Plankinton Ave., about 2 p.m. Tuesday, Milwaukee police say.

She was outside of her car to get her receipt at the pump when someone got behind the wheel and tried to drive away. The woman tried to stop them by jumping on the hood — but the man kept driving with her hanging on, according to police.

Eventually, the man stopped, stole her purse and fled from the gas station.

Surveillance video captured the dramatic encounter in the Third Ward and has been shared widely on social media and major news networks, including ABC and CNN.

The 27-year-old woman, Melissa Smith, told WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) her first thought was: "This is not happening to me today."

She said she could see the thief laughing at her with "zero remorse" as she clung to the hood and when he bailed from the car, he did not put it in park. Smith said she had to chase her car into the street and stop it from hitting anyone else.

Milwaukee police said the investigation was ongoing Thursday and officers continue to seek the suspects.

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