Tacoma woman's loud attempts to stop a package thief all caught on camera

TACOMA - Despite a neighbor’s loud efforts to stop a thief, the suspect takes off with a package from a Tacoma home in the Hilltop neighborhood.

Now the owner of that package is hoping someone will recognize the thief.

Joanne Frank says a woman walked up to her front porch and grabbed a package right out of her mailbox. A video door bell caught the whole thing on camera.

“Of course I feel pretty violated - it took me awhile to get over that,” victim Joanne Frank said.

But it only took this thief seconds to steal from Frank.

In the video, the thief pretends to knock on the door before dipping into the mailbox and running down the stairs.

“People are becoming more and more bold,” neighbor Tameka Riggins said.

Riggins witnessed the entire crime and she didn’t stay quiet. She tried to run after the thief, yelling at the woman to put the package down.

“I think I actually walked out into the street because as they rolled off I snapped off a couple of other photos,” Riggins said.

The package thief hopped into the passenger seat of a white Pontiac minivan getting away with the stolen item.

“I am loud - I know she heard me," Riggins said. "Half this street probably heard me."

“I played that video over and over again and giggled,” Frank said.

Frank appreciates her neighbor's tenacity.

“I know it’s dangerous,” Riggins said.

Next time, Riggins says, she will be less outspoken but always vigilant.

“I just don’t like it when people take from people - it’s just wrong,” Riggins said.

The crook got away with magazine organizers Frank ordered online. Now she wonders how many other packages may have been inside the van.

“It’s a rash of things and it’s going to increase I am sure going into the holidays,” Frank said.