A 40-year-old Virginia woman was delivering DoorDash after midnight on Nov. 30 when a child and a teenager carjacked her at an apartment complex in South Richmond.
By day, Deon Smith is a nurse in Chesterfield. But she said she started delivering for DoorDash two years ago to supplement her income to help save up to buy a house.
She had just dropped off an order at the apartment complex when she was approached by one of two kids outside.
"The little one approached me. I was thinking he was asking for money or something, but little did I know he was pointing a gun at me asking for my keys,” said Smith.
Working through shock, Smith said she first attempted to de-escalate the situation with the child, who she later found out was 11 years old.
"When he told me that he was going to shoot me I was like, 'Are you serious? You want to kill somebody at your age,'" she said. "I was asking ‘Where is your mom?’ and ‘Why are you out here this time of night?’"
The second child proceeded to get into Smith’s car, which she had left running while she dropped off the order, and yelled at the 11-year-old to get in too, according to Smith.
"He was telling me to get in the car, but I refused to and so they got in the car and left," she said.
Smith said she called the police and one hour later learned her car had crashed.
"I had just finished paying for my car in September," she said. "In two months it was taken away from me and totaled."
Police took the suspects into custody following the crash, Smith added.
"The suspects fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle which was later located in Henrico County, crashed in a rural area," a Richmond Police spokesperson wrote in an email when asked about the crime. "The two juvenile suspects inside the vehicle at the time of the crash were transported to local hospitals. They were released without any significant injuries and charged with robbery."
Smith said she was thankful she survived the ordeal and made it back home safely to be with her 10-year-old daughter.
"Just pray and ask God to protect at all costs, just to keep life, because a car can be replaced, but you cannot be," she said.
The loss of her car has hindered Smith's ability to work her regular shifts as a home health care nurse.
Friends have organized a GoFundMe to help Smith and her daughter. Community members who want to help Smith with transportation can reach out to Joi Fultz at joi.fultz@wtvr.com.
This story was originally published by Joi Fultz at Scripps News Richmond.
