Times are tough. Armed Robbery is up. An 80 yr old widow robbed in broad daylight

[SoCalDem]

My friend's neighbor went to Sears (At a HUGE MALL) in our town. BROAD DAYLIGHT..with people all over the place...

As she got out of her car a guy came up behind her, and pointed a gun at her.

Said:

"Give me your purse, Bitch..or I'll shoot you".

She gave him the purse, and off he went.

It took police 20 minutes to show up, and they as much as told her they most likely would not catch him.

He got $35 , her Sears card, her drivers' licence, and her pictures of her grandkids & her deceased husband (their wedding picture in the wallet).

Thom Hartmann had a guy on the other night talking about the "bubble" of a whole new crop of 15-25 yr old males who are often the ones who commit most of the crimes. This guy said that neighborhood watch, security systems and meth habits are sending a lot of these guys right into armed robbery.

SO...
as you shop, please be watchful of your surroundings BEFORE you get into your car.

This old lady was lucky, even if she does not think so. he might have hurt her, or taken her car...with her in it :scared:

Now she's afraid to leave the house.

[wtmusic]

1. I thought the economy was booming

lots of jobs, plenty of opportunity, etc. etc...

If you're a military contractor I'm sure it's the best of times.

[LibDemAlways]

2. "they most likely would not catch him"

My neighbor heard the same thing last summer when her house was robbed in broad daylight. The police didn't even want to dust for prints because it would be "too messy" and "a waste of time." She waited over two hours for the officer to respond to her call. When she called back the next day to report additional items missing, he reiterated that the thief wouldn't be caught and suggested she install an alarm if she wanted to be protected. Apparently you have to be the victim of a homicide before big city police take any real interest in your case.

[RamboLiberal]

3. This stuff happens - I remember a case over a decade ago

middle of the day purse snatching at Monroeville Mall (near Pittsburgh, PA). Fools peeled out of the parking lot at high speed and on to Route 22 to a head-on collision on a bridge with another car killing an elderly couple. I remember for months seeing the miniscule glass glitter at night on that bridge. One of those cases that haunted me.

Recently at Century III mall we had a carjacking early in the morning of a girl on her way to work at the mall.

We just have some of these young damn fools who take the criminal way to getting money and vehicles.

I personally think some of the crime at malls is hushed up so shoppers don't know this stuff is happening.

[Nicole]

4. I'm glad she wasn't hurt

I won't even carry a purse while out shopping anymore. I can carry my debit card, ID & cash in my pockets.

A cop friend told me thieves these days are using cell phones. They will call their partner/partners in crime from the parking lot to let them know when an easy target is about to turn a corner, enter a building, etc. Or they call from inside the store to let the ones in the parking lot know a shopper loaded down with bags is about to exit the building.