Benz bandit may have struck in Fishers

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) - The "Benz Bandit" is pulling off a series of brazen luxury car heists and only 24-Hour News 8 has the surveillance video of what he did at a Fishers car dealership in his joyride from Indiana to Florida in a Mercedes-Benz

Hamilton County officials have issued an arrest warrant for 22-year-old Justin William Durbin after he apparently made off with a 2003 Mercedes from a Fishers dealership earlier this month.

Since then, police in several states have investigated similar occurrences. A man shows up to test drive a luxury vehicle and never comes back. He has stolen more than a quarter million dollars in cars, all Mercedes. Then the Benz Bandit topped it with a $98,000 Bentley this week in Naples, Fla. Each time, he ditches a stolen car and trades up to a better car.

24-Hour News 8 tracked the trail to a dealership in Fishers in an apparent game of "catch me if you can."

In the surveillance video, the 22-year-old walks into the Fishers dealership of Coast to Coast Imports, well dressed and polite. The video shows him as he opens the door for somebody else walking in. He is bold. That same door clearly states there are surveillance cameras watching.

The owner of Coast to Coast Imports, Omar Barham, told 24-Hour News 8: "His story was he is in real estate and his father owns the real estate company here, and they are buying a car. He is from Oklahoma and just moved to Indiana."

The license he is showing at the dealerships identifies him as Justin Durbin. He told staff at Coast to Coast he wanted to test drive a car over to his dad to look at, but Coast to Coast policy prohibits that. 

Then the video shows him making another move, which Barham explained to us: "He wanted to know if we had an extra set of keys to the car, so the salesman checked. We showed him features on the car, and one of those is what he actually used to defraud us or steal it."

In fact, surveillance video caught him making the switch. The Mercedes he took has a smart key. It looks like a credit card that can unlock and start the car.

Barham showed us on the video where Durbin took the smart key. Then, Barham said, he went to a 96th Street Mercedes dealership, and during a test drive swiped their smart key.

Video shows him make the switch and put the key in his wallet. He later trades it out for the real smart key in the office.

"He says goodbye, and to get the car ready. He is going to go get his dad and come back and buy it. Of course, he never came back," said Barham.

Durbin did fianlly come back around 10:30 that night with an accomplice, surveillance video shows. They strolled around looking at cars until Durbin used the smart key, jumped in the car and took off.

24-Hour News 8 anchor Karen Hensel showed a drivers licens picture of Justin Durbin to the dealership owner, asking him to confirm that's the Benz Bandit.

Barham, though, said: "That's the guy on the ID. However, I don’t believe that's the guy that was here in person."

Turns out the van he parked in back when he traded up to the stolen Mercedes was stolen from Ohio - potentially the start in upping the ante for better cars.

The Mercedes he stole in Fishers was found within days at a dealership in Illinois, where he grabbed a newer Mercedes. Barham likens the scheme to the movie "Catch Me if You Can." Now making national news, he may be about to get thrown into park - and jail.

Police say he is crossing the U.S., stealing the luxury cars, but nothing is missing, there's no damage, he doesn't try to sell them. However, inside police have found laptops and IDs. Is it really Justin Durbin? His grandmother in Michigan says he started having trouble over a year ago, but she declined further questions, referring them to the sheriff.