Shocking moment confused and frightened 93 year-old man is targeted by gang of three pickpockets in Portland Costco parking lot

A 93-year-old man was targeted by a gang of three pickpockets in the parking lot of a Portland Costco and had his wallet stolen.

Clear surveillance footage shows the trio sneaking up on the elderly man as he pushes a cart back to his car, completely unaware that he is being followed by the criminals.

Seizing the opportunity, a member of the gang reaches out with his left hand and manages to grab the wallet from the customer’s back pocket.

The gang appears to be adept at pickpocketing, as the older gentleman sees nothing happening behind him. His wallet is wiped out in an instant.

For a moment the man seems to sense that something has happened and turns around and sees the three men who want to cross the road.

At one point he even pats the back of his pants, perhaps because he feels like something is missing.

Before he disappears from view of the surveillance camera, you see the man frantically looking around for something he has lost.

After the gang makes off with the victim’s wallet, they use his credit cards to purchase $1,500 worth of gift cards.

Surveillance footage lasting more than five minutes shows the trio targeting several other unsuspecting members of the public as they shopped.

The gang is seen looking for more victims as they investigate the car park.

Further investigation by the Portland Police Bureau revealed that the suspects had committed similar crimes in the Seattle area.

Detective Jordan Zaitz said Costco personnel “were able to … demonstrate that it was the same group of people walking up and down the I-5 corridor to various Costcos doing similar things.”

Zaitz said the group could also use other methods to steal personal information.

“I received an email from Winco this morning, and it appears that the same group… goes in and watches customers use their debit cards… remembers PIN numbers and then proceeds to steal their wallets in the parking lot,” she said in return for KATU.

Such petty thefts will be targeted by newly elected District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, who is promising a crackdown on crime in the city.

Progressive Portland District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who is Multnomah County prosecutor, conceded victory to Vasquez after his policies were blamed for ruining the city.

Schmidt was elected in May 2020 just before the death of George Floyd and the riots that pulverized cities across the country.

He vowed not to prosecute rioters unless there was evidence of “intentional property damage, theft or threats of violence,” and of 550 cases referred by police, only 47 were brought to trial.

Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of all hard drugs in 2020, and Schmidt rushed to implement the measure several months before it went into effect statewide.

But the number of fatal opioid overdoses rose from 280 in 2019 to 628 in the first six months of last year, as nearly 800 homeless encampments and open-air drug markets sprang up in the city center.

By September 2022, more than 2,600 businesses had fled the city center as shoppers avoided the city center and shoplifting became more common.

“What I hear when I knock is, ‘Hey, I consider myself very liberal, but this is going out of line: we’re not being served well,’” Vasquez told Politico.

“People absolutely want public safety. It doesn’t mean people are completely giving up on the idea of ​​criminal justice reform. They just want it delivered in a pragmatic, practical way.

“It is quite clear that I am the only candidate in this race who is consistently in the office prosecuting serious cases, standing up for victims and providing the current, committed leadership that my fellow prosecutors need day in and day out .’