Nothing says “guns up” quite like a 3 a.m. carjacking in a Texas Tech parking lot. According to court records, Victor Yannis Jr. decided that April 10, 2022, was the perfect night to knock on a stranger’s car window, yank open the door, wave a knife around, and demand keys like this was some kind of extremely off-brand GTA side quest.
Once he got the car, Yannis cruised around Lubbock—apparently blissfully unaware that the victim’s iPhone was in the vehicle, broadcasting his scenic tour of 19th Street in real time. His grand escape route? A nursing home. Because when you’re fleeing police, nothing says “lay low” like wandering into a facility full of night-shift workers who are absolutely not going to let a sweaty stranger hide in the break room.
LPD showed up, found him instantly (shocker), and arrested him on an unrelated warrant—at which point Yannis helpfully yelled, “Y’all can’t pin that vehicle on me!” which, as we all know, is the universal phrase criminals utter right before police immediately pin the vehicle on them. Officers then took him to a pharmacy parking lot, where the victim confirmed, “Yep, that’s the guy.”
After delays for mental health evaluations, Yannis was finally ruled competent this week and has agreed to plead guilty. If the judge accepts the plea, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison—which is probably less time than the nursing home employees have spent telling this story at family dinners.
Maybe next time he should try hiding somewhere less obvious—like the Loop during rush hour. Nobody ever finds anything there.
