Young criminal attacks an elderly man as he unloads his groceries all in an attempt to steal his car. In an awesome twist, the elderly man turns out not to be as helpless as the young punk thought.
In most cases, criminals will scope out the most vulnerable victims to rob. The hope is that their victim can’t defend themselves or their property. That’s why the criminal who confronts an elderly gentleman thinks they have an easy target.
Philadelphia police reported that a 69-year-old man was unloading groceries when a 24-year-old man approached him. The young man’s purpose was to steal his car. The incident occurred in the victim’s driveway on the 8000 block of Rodney Street in the Cedarbrook area just before noon.
According to local news outlet WPVI, the suspect walked up to the victim and brandished a pistol, telling him “this is a robbery.” However, the intended victim wasn’t going down without a fight.
The report detailed that before the carjacker could even react, the victim lunged and grabbed him in an attempt to take the young carjacker down. A struggle ensued, but the suspect ultimately lost. Incredibly, the 69-year-old managed to wrestle the firearm out of the hands of his attacker. He then turned the firearm against the robber. The victim fired off a single shot.
The suspect’s stomach was grazed by the bullet, leaving him with a serious wound but still alive. Apparently, the wound wasn’t enough to stop him from fleeing on foot. The suspect was later transported to the hospital and was in stable condition. The victim suffered a superficial bite on his hand but did not require medical treatment.
Neighbors called the police after hearing the fight. Detectives believe the carjacker had not known or targeted the victim beforehand but had been “cruising” the area for a distracted person entering or exiting their vehicle.
“Usually older people are left alone by criminals, but the rules of the game have changed. I mean, kids are getting shot, we have now people being carjacked in their late 60s,” said Philadelphia Police Captain John Walker.
Police arrested the suspect and charged him with robbery, carjacking, and several other offenses. Investigators confirmed that the victim would not face charges for defending himself.
“We know that these carjackings are moments of opportunities. We ask people to just pay attention. When you’re driving up to your home, make sure there’s nobody walking. If there’s somebody walking you don’t recognize, go around the block another time,” said Walker.
