58-year-old Lisa Marie Coleman, better known by the FBI as the 'high-heeled hijacker,' was arrested for allegedly being connected to a series of robberies and an abduction. Coleman gained the nickname after she was seen wearing fancy footwear in at least one of the robberies.
According to Houston Police, Coleman has been described as being well-dressed and having a strong body odor. The high-heeled hijacker’s string of robberies began in November when she approached a Galleria Houston employee in the parking lot and demanded money from them. The employee, recognized as Katie Otten, assumed that Coleman was armed.
A few days before Christmas, the high-heeled hijacker was allegedly involved in several other robberies at a bank, sandwich shop, and hotel. Police eventually took her into custody on separate charges, however, they later linked her to the robberies after receiving a tip.
Lisa Marie Coleman, nicknamed the high-heeled hijacker by the FBI, was arrested and faces several charges including kidnapping
Lisa Marie Coleman, a 58-year-old woman, is being held as a suspect in a series of robberies in Texas. Authorities believe that her first robbery was when she approached Katie Otten, an employee of Galleria Houston at the mall’s parking lot, and demanded money. Since she had her hand inside her pocket, Otten thought that she might be armed.
Katie recalled the incident and told the New York Post:
“She forced her way into my vehicle and was like, ‘OK, take me to an ATM. I told her I wasn’t going to leave Randalls [pharmacy and grocery] with her. I told her, ‘You have the car keys, take the car, go and do whatever you want.”
Lisa allegedly forced the victim to drive to several ATMs and finally made a stop at the grocery store. She received the nickname “high-heeled hijacker” from the FBI after she was seen wearing fancy heels in at least one of her robberies. Christina Garza, an FBI spokesperson at Houston’s FBI Office told the New York Post:
“It’s not very common, and so we felt that the High-Heeled Hijacker would be the perfect nickname.”
The high-heeled hijacker targeted the next victim on December 21 when she entered a hotel in the 5100 block of Westheimer Road. Coleman threatened the cashier by showing them a note demanding money. The terrified cashier handed over the money, soon after which the high-heeled hijacker fled the scene.
Two days after the robbery at the hotel, she entered a bank and repeated her tactics. One of the victims told police that although Coleman was well-dressed, she had a strong body odor. Authorities now believe that she might be involved in other robberies as well.
She was jailed for separate charges, however, after receiving a tip, the officers connected her to the robberies that took place during the holiday season. Garza further added:
“We learned very quickly it’s a smart tactic to give them names because the public latches on to them. Some individuals, when we confront them, have literally said, ‘Yes, I am whatever nickname’ we’ve given them.”
Prosecutor Chandler Raine believes that the motive behind the robberies might just be greed
FBI officers believe the high-heeled hijacker has been involved in at least 4 robberies in the Galleria area. The robberies spanned from November 15, 2022, to December 23, 2022.
Katie Otten described how she was sure that Coleman was in dire need of money. She was robbed of more than $100 and was kidnapped in her own car. Coleman allegedly tried to withdraw $2,000 from several ATMs. Prosecutor Chandler Raine with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said:
“Pretty much anytime you have someone taking money from somebody else one of your motives is going to be greed. So that’s my best guess as to the motive in this case. Ms. Coleman decided that something that was somebody else’s, she had a greater right to possess it.”
The 58-year-old high-heeled hijacker is currently held on several bonds amounting to a total of $300,000. She faces charges of three counts of robbery and kidnapping. Her next court appearance is scheduled to be in April 2023. If she appears in court, Coleman will be required to undergo a drug test and has to be under 24-hour house arrest. Police are currently trying to find people who might have been victims of the robberies.