In a startling incident in Maryland, a Marine Corps veteran bravely thwarted a carjacking attempt by a group of teenagers in broad daylight. Jheyco Borda, who was busy working on his truck in Oxon Hill, approximately 10 miles from Washington, DC, found himself in a tense standoff when four hooded teenagers approached him around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
The encounter, captured on surveillance footage shared on Borda’s Facebook page, serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance. Borda accompanied the video with a cautionary message: “Be careful and be aware of your surroundings.”
As the teens surrounded Borda at the back of his truck, one of them, clad in a red, white, and blue sweatshirt, brandished a pistol and aimed it at the veteran’s head, demanding his car keys and phone.
In a courageous move, Borda took advantage of a brief moment of distraction among the teenagers. He swiftly grabbed the suspect wielding the gun and engaged in a struggle to disarm him.
Amidst the chaos, two of the would-be carjackers fled down the residential street, while another nervously circled the truck, unsure of what to do next.
Borda, seizing on a moment of distraction among the group, grabbed the suspect holding the gun and wrestled him for the weapon.
As the struggle broke out, two of the attempted carjackers dashed down the residential street, while another anxiously circled the vehicle.
Seconds after the struggle began, Borda’s brother ran out of the house to help his sibling fend off the group.
A single gunshot rang out as the brothers fought for the gun, but nobody was struck.
Borda’s brother then went after a second suspect. Within moments, both brothers had thrown their attackers to the ground and restrained them until Prince George’s County police arrived and took all four suspects into custody.
Borda credited his Marine Corps hand-to-hand combat training for giving him the instincts and know-how to disarm the teen.
“Once a Marine, always a Marine,” Borda told Fox 5. “It took me just one split second. We went to training for the Marines and that came out right at the moment.”
He told the outlet that the teens and their parents should be held accountable for their actions and revealed that the bullet fired during the struggle tore through the bed of his truck.
Borda added that the bullet hole will cost about $2,000 to repair, and his car insurance will not cover the damage.
He said he was fortunate his kids, brother and beloved dog Sky — who usually rides in the backseat — weren’t in the vehicle at the time.
