Employee chases man accused of stealing $42K truck during test drive

GASTONIA, N.C. — The man accused of stealing a brand new truck while taking it on a test drive was taken into custody following a massive search in the middle of a Gastonia neighborhood Friday morning.

Police said Travon Underwood asked for a test drive at the Toyota of Gastonia but drove off with the $42,000 Tacoma before the dealer could return with the temporary tag.

An employee chased after the truck, following it up and down Interstate 85, calling 911.

Sherry Ramsey said she didn't even realize her car was involved in the chase until another employee told her a salesman was in pursuit of stolen truck.

"And I was standing there wondering, 'What in the world?'" Ramsey said. "I said, 'In a blue Prius?' And he said, ‘Yes,’ and I said, 'That's my car.'"

The salesman was determined to stop the man in the stolen truck. which he took off in after asking for a test drive at the dealership.

“Should I get in front of him, let him go or should I stay behind him? ” the salesman asked dispatchers.

The dispatcher told the salesman to stay safe, so he backed off while police picked up the chase.

"I'm just picturing him going full blast on my Prius,” Ramsey said.

The suspect stopped in a neighborhood, got out of the truck and ran. Responding officers fanned out across the community with search dogs and their guns drawn, looking under homes and searching backyards.

"They told me, ‘You in front of the white SUV, step out,’ with like, AKs pointed at my face," said Derrick Walker, who lives in the area.

Channel 9 was there when officers took Underwood into custody a short time later on Modena Street, just a few blocks away.

Officers said Underwood looked like he had been crawling in a creek.

Ramsey’s car didn't have any obvious signs of damage.

"Sometimes we make bad judgments when we are trying to make quick decisions, and I think he made a bad judgement call on that,” Ramsey said.

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