Armed robbers are left empty-handed after one fled with victim’s backpack containing the car keys

Houston police have released footage of an attempted carjacking gone catastrophically wrong after a thief accidentally made off with the car key.

The video, released Friday, captured the moment one of the two thieves took off on foot with a backpack containing the key to the jeep they were trying to steal, preventing the other from starting the car.

While the owner of the jeep chased the thief who took his backpack, the other who tried to start the car gave up and fired his gun. When the thief with the bag heard the gunfire, he dropped it, allowing the owner to recover it along with all of its contents.

The two thieves were apprehended in a blue Chevrolet Camaro driven by a third suspect, but all three left empty-handed, according to Houston police.

The keys to the jeep the two tried to steal were in a backpack (pictured) with which one ran off but eventually dropped it, leaving the victim to recover all of his belongings

The attempted carjacking occurred one afternoon in January after the victim believed he had been followed to his home in Houston’s Newcastle neighborhood after being seen at a nearby gas station.

The homeowner described the experience to Fox 26 Houston, but said he would not remain identified.

Came at me with a loaded 9mm gun with an extended clip, at least 40 rounds or so. They wanted the car,” he said. “Screamed give me your keys, held up my hands, tried to stay as calm as possible.”

Video shows the man throwing something into a wheeled bin next to his garage when the armed assailant tapped him on the shoulder and pointed the gun at him with only one hand.

“The gun was in my face the whole time,” he said.

He said when asked where the keys were, he truthfully stated they were in a bag in the passenger seat of the car.

The gunman and his co-conspirator then entered the garage. The person with the gun approached the driver’s side while striking up a conversation with the owner.

Meanwhile, the other approaches from the passenger side and grabs the backpack on the seat before running away with it in his hands.

The panicked homeowner then seems conflicted between chasing the thief who took his backpack and keeping his eyes on the gunman who was in his car, but eventually decides to give chase.

Houston police are calling for information on the two thieves, who both wore tracksuits and hid the lower halves of their faces. A third suspect drove a blue Chevrolet Camaro in which they fled

The homeowner chased the man who stole his backpack. The other thief fired a shot at the two, causing the man with the bag to drop it

Both thieves ran off on foot before finally catching up with a blue Camaro that let them into the car and drove away. The thief who had the backpack can be seen running on the grass on the sidewalk in this image

When the shooter realized he couldn’t start the car, he quit the project and ran off in the same direction as the other two. As he did so, he fired a pistol, startling the thief with the backpack, who then fell to the ground as he continued to run.

“The declarant started running after the suspect who was carrying his backpack and heard gunshots coming from the first suspect, who ran after him. The suspect who had the backpack also heard the shots, causing him to drop the backpack,” the police said in a statement.

“The boy who had the gun got out of my car and shot at me and his friend, friend, accomplice, whatever you want to call him,” the homeowner said.

“I continued to chase him to where I saw him get into the car, on Holcombe, just before Herman Urgent Care,” he added.

The two thieves then ran to overtake a blue Chevrolet Camaro that drove past the house and failed to come to a complete stop. Eventually, the two reach the car and take off.

‘Usually when they say give me your keys, someone gives them right away and they’re gone. It didn’t happen that way, so they got duped,” he said.

“They didn’t know what to do. Luckily it was a lot of mistakes or I probably wouldn’t be talking to you today.’

The Houston Police Department said it is now appealing to members of the public for information about the attempted robbery and has released descriptions of both of whom hid the lower halves of their faces.

It said information leading to charges could raise up to $5,000 in cash.