Suspect allegedly attempts multiple car-jackings

SAN DIEGO, April 21 (UPI) -- A California car thief was thwarted when the Mercedes he stole apparently wasn't good enough -- so he tried to steal a Lexus.

U-T San Diego said an unidentified long-haired shirtless man driving a stolen red Honda car-jacked the driver of a Mercedes E Class about 4:10 p.m. Saturday in Pacific Beach, Calif. He drove away in the Mercedes and appeared a short time later at a Lexus dealership. He approached a mechanic and, police said, pretended he had a gun and demanded one of the cars.

When the mechanic refused, the suspect fled in the original Mercedes -- and tried to steal another car, from a different Mercedes dealership across the street.

Witnesses said the man then fled to a nearby apartment complex. A helicopter search of the area was unsuccessful, police said.