Woman wallops would-be car thief at gas station, tosses him to the ground: 'I'm not in the mood tonight'

Benita Early was standing next to her Honda Accord, pumping gas at a Sam's Club in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this month when she encountered an unwelcome visitor — sitting in her driver's seat, WREG-TV reported.

What happened?

Police released surveillance video of Jan. 22 attempted theft, and it showed a white Mercedes pull up next to her Honda around 7 p.m. and a male quickly exiting the Mercedes' passenger-side door and heading to her car:

Image source: WREG-TV video screenshot

The suspect then was seen opening the passenger-side door of Early's Accord:

Image source: WREG-TV video screenshot

The guy then slipped inside the Accord, got into the driver's seat — and then put Early's Honda in reverse, the station said.

But Early, 54, was having none of this foolishness.

"I grabbed him, and I hit him in the head," she told WREG. "He had some long dreads. So I took my hand and grabbed the long dreads in one hand, and he was wearing a hoodie over his head. So I pulled the hoodie, and it started to rip. Then I was able to get hold of him, and I grabbed him and threw him down to the ground."

Sometimes crooks mess with the wrong "victims," don't they?

Video showed the suspect back on his feet and then running back to the white Mercedes, opening its door, and getting in as the car sped off.

Image source: WREG-TV video screenshot

What happened to Early?

"I wasn't trying to hurt him, but I wanted him to leave me alone," Early told the station, adding that she's been robbed before.

Except this time she took action.

"I was like, 'I'm not in the mood tonight'," Early told WREG.

While she successfully made the suspect run, Early suffered a sprained hand in the process:

Image source: WREG-TV video screenshot

What happened to the suspect?

Police are still trying to find the would-be car thief, the station said.

"To me, he could have been 18, 19 years old," Early told WREG.

And she noted to the station that the suspect is old enough to know right from wrong, Early added that he's young enough to start walking on a better path.

"This could be the opportunity for him to turn his life around and become a productive member of society," she told WREG.