Horrifying moment when an LA store owner is brutally beaten and pistol-whipped by armed robbers
Shocking footage shows the moment a Los Angeles store owner was brutally beaten and then pistol-whipped by armed robbers who made off with money and jewelry.
Surveillance footage from KloudPusherz in downtown Los Angeles shows two hooded thieves entering the clothing store around 4:49 p.m. Wednesday, armed with a semi-automatic pistol.
The two men were seen pistol-whipping, kicking, beating and dragging shopkeeper Franky Salerno across the floor before making off with his money and jewelry.
It was the second time in as many days that Salerno had to deal with thieves, his girlfriend said KTLApointing out that he and his friend were actually waiting for the police to arrive so they could report a robbery the night before.
“Franky was attacked on Wednesday, but he was there with his friend waiting for the police that day because his store had been broken into the night before,” said Ivana Octaviani. “They took most of his merchandise.”
The two men were seen gunning shop owner Franky Salerno, kicking, beating and dragging them across the floor before making off with his money and jewelry.
Salerno is now in intensive care after being attacked in his shop. He suffers fractures to his skull, eye socket, nose and hand
Octaviani said Salerno had tried to fight back but was no match for the two men, who took his gold chain, a Rolex watch and other jewelry.
They could be seen on the surveillance footage wrestling Salerno to the floor and dragging him across the floor as he tried to fight back.
They then pistol-whipped him, punched and kicked him several times in an attempt to stop him from getting to his feet.
When his friend, who has not been named, tried to intervene, the armed robbers followed him.
Salerno is now in Intensive Care and suffers fractures to his skull, eye socket, nose and hand, she said in a statement. GoFundMe for his medical expenses.
Meanwhile, the two suspects have fled the scene and remain a fugitive.
They are both described as black men, one of whom wore a black face mask, a black hoodie with an “X” on the back, and black pants.
The second suspect was wearing a blue and white striped hoodie with jeans.
The armed robbery came less than a week after a video posted online showed a man tearing off his shirt while trying to get away from the center of the fight at The Grove shopping centre.
He was then chased by four others who forced him to the ground before throwing him a barrage of punches and kicks.
A woman looking at the scene is heard saying, ‘Oh my God. Where are the police? Where’s security?’
Just before the short video ends, what appears to be two security guards appear at the scene in an attempt to bring the brawl to an end.
Octaviani says she is tired of crime in Los Angeles now and told KTLA that her friends in Indonesia are shocked by the incessant crime.
“All my friends in Indonesia say, ‘What’s going on there?'” she said.
“Is this what we’ve become?” she asked. LA was a great city. California was once a great state, but look at it now. What happened?’
She went on to say that she recently moved to Arizona to escape the crime-ridden city, and hoped her boyfriend would join her.
The video of the brawl was shared on platform Citizen and shows a man having his shirt ripped off his back as he is attacked
Several celebrities have also announced their plans to escape California, including former Happy Days star Scott Baio, who announced that he had put his $3.85 million Woodland Hills home on the market.
Taking to Twitter, the conservative sitcom star said he just doesn’t feel safe in the Golden State anymore given the various issues under Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
“After 45 years, I’m on my way to finally leaving ‘the stage right’ from California,” he wrote.
He then cited the state’s statistics on homelessness, noting that “it lowers property values.” No consequences for the rampant crime, which makes things more expensive and it is simply no longer a safe place.’
The Joanie Loves Chachi star tacked on the hashtag ‘#ImFree’.
Scott Baio announced he is fleeing California as he put his $3.85 million home on the market, citing the state’s disastrous homelessness and crime problems
Recent LAPD figures show that there were more than 2,100 incidents of violent crime in the city alone in the past month.
Of that figure, 1415 involved aggravated assault, 629 were recorded as robberies, with 80 rape incidents and 23 murders.
Last month’s total number of violent incidents was 6 higher than the previous month, with an increase in assault, rape and robbery.
The number of arrests in the city has also risen since last month, from 4,501 in March to 5,497 in April.