A Detroit veteran said a young man who was acting like he was helping him get to an area VA hospital ended up stealing his car with his prosthetic leg in the truck.
"This guy played me," Walter Richardson, the veteran who lost his leg due to diabetes, told MyFoxDetroit.com. "I need that leg so bad."
The teen helped him out in the past, so Richardson said he was not suspicious Friday when the teen offered to help him drive to the center. Richardson said he handed the young man his bag with his car keys. They placed his prosthetic leg in the trunk and the teen wheeled him up to the third floor.
"He (said), 'I've got to go to the bathroom," Richardson said. "And I thought about it even before I went in, before they called me, I said, 'It's taking him a mighty long time to go to the bathroom.'"
Richardson finished with his appointment and the young man had still not returned.
"All of a sudden I thought about it. I said, 'He's got my damn keys. I looked over to where the car... was parked, and I said, 'That (expletive) has got my car.'"
His helper allegedly took off with his 1999 black Ford Taurus with his prosthetic leg in the trunk and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Richardson filed a stolen car report with Detroit Police.
In the meantime, Richardson, who suffers from several health problems, is struggling to get around his own home. He has no idea how he will be able to afford another prosthetic leg.
Richardson said his daughter, who lives on the other side of the city, is helping out.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson with Detroit Police said they are confident they'll be able to apprehend a suspect soon.
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