Roseville Senior Mary Thompson Fights Off Attack By Hitchhiker Who Wouldn't Leave Car

ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — It's the story of a lifetime for 78-year-old Sun City Roseville resident Mary Thompson. She fought back Tuesday after becoming the victim of an attempted carjacking by a woman she stopped to help.

The woman, who was identified as Shellie Macvane, got into Thompson's car and began attacking her when Thompson told her to get out.

"She started hitting me," Thompson said.

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The 78-year-old decided her best defense was to go on the offense.

"So I grabbed her by her hair, both hands, and I thought, 'ok I'm not letting go.' And this greasy black mop was just awful but easy to hang onto," Thompson said.

Thomson said the woman finally left the car, only her wild behavior continued, targeting other people on the street.

"And she's screaming, she is screaming," Thompson said. "Well, great cause now all the neighbors can hear."

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Sun City neighbor Scott Beller heard the commotion from a block away and ran toward it, eventually pinning the suspect to the ground until police arrived.

"What happened today was absurd," Beller said. "This is a community that elderly live in and we have to respect that, and people come in here and they prey on us."

An assault in Roseville's Sun City. What may have seemed like an easy target, proved to be too tough.

"I think I was running on adrenaline," Thompson said. "We won, I won. I might hurt a little, but I won."

Roseville police have identified the suspect as 34-year-old Shellie Macvane. She was arrested on charges of elder abuse, attempted carjacking, theft and threatening officers.