http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152001/sports/giants/385.htm
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GIANT STAR IN
CARJACK DRAMA
By PAUL SCHWARTZ
August 15, 2001 — EXCLUSIVE

ALBANY – The buzzwords around Dave
Thomas this training camp are about battles and survival and threats to
his job. As usual, the veteran cornerback has approached what could be
an uncomfortable situation with his standard professional demeanor.

What transpired this off-season, though, tested Thomas more forcefully
than any challenge that prize rookie Will Allen can make to his starting
job. A harrowing incident barely two weeks before the start of camp left
Thomas on his knees, the barrel of a gun imprinting the back of his
head, wondering if his life was about to end in a Miami parking lot.

“You try to take all the precautions, you hang around the right people,
you go to places you know it’s not a trouble-making type of atmosphere,
no matter what, if somebody wants to target you they will,” Thomas said
yesterday, speaking publicly about the frightening altercation for the
first time.

Seated on a steep flight of stairs leading down to the Giants locker
room, Thomas following the afternoon workout recounted an ordeal that he
admits shook him badly. He resides in downtown Miami and had just
finished eati ng at an upscale restaurant not far from his home.
As he approached his 2002 Ford Escalade,
Thomas, who stands 6-foot-3, weighs 218 pounds and has the build of a
cruiserweight champion, was suddenly approached by two young men wearing
masks.

“Hey man, I want your car,” is what Thomas recalls one of the men
saying.

“I was outnumbered – I was like, hey, it’s not that important so I
basically cooperated,”
Thomas said. “They were big guys. Both of ‘em had a piece.”

Instructed to get to his knees, Thomas tossed the keys to the luxury SUV
to one of the gunmen and then, on the ground, prayed that would satisfy
his assailants.

“To be honest with you, I was scared, I didn’t know what was going to go
on after I gave them my keys,” he said. “With anybody, you’re always
concerned you give ‘em what they want well, do they want more? Are they
scared you might identify them?”

As the two thugs were entering Thomas’ truck, shots rang out. The
manager of the restaurant, a casual acquaintance of Thomas, witnessed
what was going down and intervened.

“He busted a couple of rounds off, they jumped into their car with my
keys,” Thomas said. “I said OK, I hear gunshots, let me hit the ground.”

No criminal report was made, as the owner of the restaurant did not want
negative publicity.
Thomas theorizes that the expensive rims on the tires of his truck might
have made him a target. He called roadside assistance, had duplicate
keys made and still has the truck.

Thomas wants to keep the incident quiet. He might stave off Allen’s
challenge or he may not and drop into a reserve role. Either way, Thomas
knows he’s been through an ordeal.