WINNIPEG

Woman recounts carjacking

ctvwinnipeg.ca Published Saturday, August 30, 2008 5:03PM CST

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Hot coffee and a steely resolve helped a 60-year-old woman fight off an armed attacker who tried to force her from her van as she was parked at a red light.

Sandy Bruderer recounted to CTV News the events of Wednesday the morning, when she was on her way to work and stopped at Burrows Avenue and Arlington Street.

Bruderer said she didn't notice until it was too late that someone had opened her door and was telling her to get out.

"He says get out," she recalled to CTV's Caroline Barghout. "I says 'No!' and he's yelling at me and I could see the knife. Immediately I saw the knife in his right hand."

Bruderer said she started grabbing at the mans arm trying to keep him from getting close to her. My main goal was to keep him at arms length till someone came."

But it was still early in the morning and there was no one around.

Then she remembered her hot coffee, which she threw in his face

During the struggle she cut her finger on the man's knife, but she did enough damage with the coffee to scare him away. Police say that was the right thing to do.

"Getting yourself to a safe place is ultimately what we want," said Const. Jason Michalyshen of the Winnipeg Police Service.

Michalyshen said motorists should always lock their doors, which makes it more difficult for would-be carjackers to get in. Bruderer said she was in a courtesy van at the time, and said the doors in her usual vehicle lock automatically, so she's never given the idea much thought.

Police say if you become a victim, do what you can to get out of the situation safely.

" The whole time I'm doing this, in my mind I'm saying 'You're not going to win this, you little bugger. You're not going to get the best of me.'"

Sandy Bruderer says she wasn't scared... just angry.

But now as time has passed, she admits she's lucky to have gotten out of the ordeal it alive.

Police say the suspect is described as: