Surveillance footage captured the shocking moment two armed Los Angeles-area muggers pistol-whipped a man and a woman, forcing them to the ground, in an attempt to steal a Rolex watch.
The video shows two men in black hoodies and gray sweatpants wrestling a man and a woman to the ground in a parking lot in broad daylight as the woman could be heard screaming for help.
Officials with the Walnut Sheriff’s Station say the incident occurred just after noon on Saturday at the 99 Ranch Market on Nogales Avenue in Rowland Heights.
The couple was unloading groceries into their car at the time, authorities say, when the unidentified men ran up to them and demanded the man’s $60,000 Rolex watch.
Before he could respond, authorities say, one of the suspects pistol-whipped him and knocked him to the ground.
The second suspect then pistol whipped the woman he was with, and footage from the aftermath showed the two victims still on the ground daubing their heads.
Walnut Sheriff’s Station deputies say two men wearing black sweaters and gray sweatpants pistol-whipped a man and a woman loading groceries into their car on Saturday
The two unidentified men could be seen in surveillance footage forcing a woman to the ground before they made off with the man’s $60,000 Rolex watch
Authorities say the men pistol-whipped the victim before he even had a chance to respond
Video from the aftermath show the man and woman daubing their heads outside of their car at the 99 Ranch Market on Nogales Avenue in Rowland Heights
Once they were both injured on the ground, the two men grabbed the watch and took off in a white Dodge Challenger with paper license plates.
They are described as two men between the ages of 25 to 30 years old, who were reportedly armed with semi-automatic handguns.
The men may have also been involved in other robberies in the area, ABC 7 reports, and the Walnut Sheriff’s Station is now working in conjunction with the Temple Sheriff’s Station, which has received reports of similar incidents.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Walnut Sheriff’s Department at (626) 913-1715 as crime spikes in the City of Angels and its woke District Attorney faces a recall election for his soft-on-crime policies.
The brazen theft comes as woke District Attorney George Gascon (pictured at a news conference last month) faces a recall effort as critics blame him for a rise in crime with his soft-on-crime policies
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, property crimes like the one involving the couple at the grocery store are up 13.6 percent from last year, with personal thefts up 16.6 percent. Meanwhile, violent crimes are up 8.2 percent overall
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, property crimes like the one involving the couple at the grocery store are up 13.6 percent from last year, with personal thefts up 16.6 percent.
Burglaries are also up 15.3 percent and motor vehicle thefts are up 14.7 percent.
Meanwhile, violent crimes are up 8.2 percent, with robberies up 20.8 percent over last year and aggravated assaults up 5 percent.
Late last month, a group of 11 thugs were recorded smashing their way into a Manhattan Beach jewelry store, and breaking display cases cases with hammers.
After about 12 seconds, the robbers, clad in ski masks and predominantly wearing dark clothing, are seen on surveillance footage beginning to make their exit one-by-one. The group sprints across the street and in to three waiting cars.
One of the group appears to drop something and stops to pick it up before getting to his car.
The value of the goods they ran away with remains unclear, and no arrests have yet been made in the case.
Late last month, a group of 11 thugs were recorded smashing their way into a Manhattan Beach jewelry store, and breaking display cases cases with hammers
After about 12 seconds, the robbers, clad in ski masks and predominantly wearing dark clothing, are seen on surveillance footage beginning to make their exit one-by-one
Now many in Los Angeles are forcing a recall of its woke District Attorney George Gascon, who they blame for the rising crime.
He came into office in 2020 rolling back sentencing enhancements that kept convicted criminals behind bars for longer periods of time and prohibited minor from being charged as adults.
Since then, convicted prisoners have been recorded telling their loved ones over the phone that their sentences were reduced, referring to Gascon as a ‘homie.’
And recently, Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna claimed the 68-year-old District Attorney is a ‘criminal’s champ’ who neglects the need for ‘public safety’ and residents’ feelings with his woke policy.
Sanna also claimed Gascon has made it difficult for their office to do their job because ‘as soon as we catch a perpetrator, we have to release them.’
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva also claimed Gascon dismissed more than 13,000 cases from his office since 2020 because they ‘don’t conform to his special directives.’
‘He showed up like Moses with his 10 Commandments, with his tablets, and said: “Here’s my special orders, take ’em or take ’em,” Villanueva previously told Fox News.
‘That does not promote a good working relationship.’
Finally last week, activists submitted 717,000 signatures to force a recall vote – well over the 566,857 required by the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.
‘LA, you have made your voices heard,’ a campaign activist wrote on Twitter. ‘Together, we’re going to force George Gascon to face the voters.’
Recall activists hope to put the option to recall Gascon on the November ballot.
In order to do so, the signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in Los Angeles County will have to be verified, so the organizers submitted more than needed, in case some are deemed unacceptable.
The deadline for supporters of the recall to turn in their ballots was July 6.