New trend in theft going around Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Officers chased down four teenagers Wednesday morning after they say the teens stole someone's car at gunpoint in southwest Houston.

Investigators said the teens bumped the back bumper of the victim's car to get him to pull over. Officers call this tactic the "bump and rob."

It's one of several ways criminals can trick victims. Andrea Slaydon said she had a close call in a similar situation in May.

A man pulled up next to her at an intersection.

"And he said, 'Hey, something flew off your tire and it's wobbly and it hit my car,' and I said, 'Oh I'm really sorry about that,'" Slaydon explained. "And he said, 'No, no I don't care about my car, I'm just...your tire. It's wobbly. It's gonna fall off."

The man was persistent, saying he was a mechanic and could help.

"When I dismissed him, he said, 'This is gonna be a tragedy for you or someone else if we don't get this checked out. I can see your tire, it's about to fall off,'" Slaydon said.

She didn't pull over and instead drove to a nearby tire store to get it checked out.

"I told him what happened, and he said there's a scam going around. This is like a ploy people use to get people to get out of their vehicles," Slaydon said.

Bellaire Police advise drivers not to pull over immediately. Instead, keep driving to a public parking lot.