Officers with the Medford Police Department arrested the suspect in a violent carjacking outside of Dairy Queen on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from the agency.
Police responded to the Dairy Queen on Morrow Road shortly before 6:30 p.m. after a man reported that his car had been stolen following an assault.
The 55-year-old victim had been sitting in his 2007 Chevy Trailblazer and eating food. According to MPD, a man was walking around the parking lot, approaching people in cars and asking for money. When the man came up to the door of the Chevy, he reportedly opened it and told the victim to get out.
“A fight between the two ensued, but the suspect was able to overpower the victim,” MPD said.
The suspect jumped into the victim’s vehicle and drove away, reportedly striking another car in the parking lot. Several witnesses tried to follow the stolen vehicle, but lost sight of it.
Meanwhile, the victim went to the hospital for treatment of his injuries and was later released. Police said that the stolen vehicle contained the victim’s wallet, phone, and other property.
Several hours later, around 8:40 p.m., residents near the 1200-block of Withington Street called police to report a “suspicious male” in their neighborhood. He was near a vehicle later identified as the stolen Chevy.
Officers responded to Withington Street and surrounded the area, arresting the suspect. He was later identified as 25-year-old Andrew Nicholas Seelig. “Almost all” of the victim’s items were recovered, MPD said.
Seelig was lodged in the Jackson County Jail on charges of Robbery 3, UUMV, Hit and Run, Reckless Driving, and a number of other charges. His initial bail was set at $57,500.