08/03/14 Pittsburgh, PA – Intoxicated Woman Attempted To Steal A Pittsburgh PD Unmarked Car – She Jumped Into The Driver’s Seat While Other Officers Were In Vehicle

August 3, 2014

examiner.com

Some people do crazy things, especially when they are intoxicated. On Aug. 3, WTSP reported that a woman tried to steal a police car. If that wasn’t bad enough, she tried to steal it with the officers still inside the vehicle.

Ria Buford, 32, decided to steal the police car after leaving a club. She had attended the Wiz Khalifa concert after-party on Saturday night. When she left the Strip District at around 2:15 am, she climbed inside an unmarked cruiser on Smallman Street, with two officers sitting inside of it. They were on patrol near club Xtaza. There was a third officer that was in the driver’s seat, but he had left the vehicle to take a phone call.

When Buford climbed in, she sat in the driver’s seat and told the two officers, who were not in uniform, that she wanted the car so she could get back to her own vehicle. The officer in the passenger seat put his arm out in defense, trying to push the woman out of the vehicle. While he was doing this, he displayed his badge, according to the criminal complaint. He also identified himself as a Pittsburgh police officer and ordered her out of the vehicle.

Buford didn’t exit the vehicle and remained sitting in the car with her hands on the steering wheel. This is when she told them that she was going to use their car to drive it to where her vehicle was parked. One of the officers went to the driver’s side and went to grab her left arm in an attempt to physically remove her. But then a man came over and put both of his hands on the police officer’s chest. He grabbed his shirt and told him not to put his hands on Buford.

The unidentified man was tackled by the officer and after a bit of a struggle, was handcuffed. The officers pulled the woman out of the car and she was arrested. Buford has been charged with public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and robbery of a motor vehicle.

CBS News reported that Buford doesn’t have an attorney yet, according to online court records. There will be a preliminary hearing for the Pennsylvania woman on Thursday.