There’s a moment in everyone’s driving career where you are offered the chance to learn how to drive a car with manual transmission. This moment is pivotal. It can mean the difference between grand theft auto glory and unending embarrassment in front of your new girlfriend.

Alexander Katz, a 19 year-old wannabe car thief, discovered firsthand that he shouldn’t have said no to those stick shift lessons. While out with his teenaged girlfriend, Katz plotted to steal a car from a parking lot and joy ride around town.

Absolutely nothing about this crime went according to plan. Once getting said stolen car on the road, Katz began to flounder as he realized that he had no idea how to handle a manual transmission vehicle. He ditched the car in a grocery store parking lot and called a cab service to pick him up.

At this point, the car’s original owner had already seen Katz stopping and starting on the road, and police quickly located the teens. A thrilling on-foot chase ensued, and both Katz and his lady accomplice were arrested.