Clayton man speaks to ABC11 after his Kia was stolen and involved in a police pursuit

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Robert Hoopes and his wife Becki still can't believe their luck.

"It could happen to anyone and when it does, it's really shocking and puts you in a bad position no matter who you are," he said.

Last week the couple's Kia Forte was stolen from in front of their Clayton apartment.

Little could they have known that days later it would be used in a crime spree. Garner Police chased it at a high rate of speed into Raleigh on Monday.

"They obviously went for the people's car who needed it the most and I know they didn't think it through," Becki said.

It started a week ago when Robert went to go out to go to work and his car was gone.

"It was just an empty parking space where my car was," he said.

Robert, who works in I.T., lives down the road in Johnston County and had to stay home that day because his car was gone.

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He called the police who came and took a report.

Detectives told them other cars were rifled through at a different complex off of US 70 but their car was the only one that was stolen

The Kia is part of a national trend because of a TikTok challenge.

"Unfortunately the burden is on the person who got robbed," Robert said.

Days later he still didn't know where his car was so he went to buy another. Then on Tuesday morning a surprising call from a person he works with.

"My manager went online while I was getting ready to go and he said, 'Is this your car on the news?' and I told him 'Yeah, that's my car,'" Robert said.

He said he went to see it at a Downtown Raleigh tow yard. It was crumpled and beyond anything he could save.

"It's really weird when your car is more famous than you are," Robert said. "Kind of bizarre."

They didn't have comprehensive coverage on the first car so they're out thousands for that and now they're paying another car payment.

Becki said she doesn't want the teens punished as much as their parents and for Kia to be held responsible for letting this glitch continue as long as it has.