Smash-And-Grab Thief Targets Man In Wheelchair
(CBS) – Usually, when you hear of a "smash and grab," you think of a store.
This one was in a car. To make matters worse, the thief targeted a man in a wheelchair.
CBS 2's Sandra Torres reports.
Two days have gone by, but Tim Dirsmith is still in shock about what happened to him.
Dirsmith has been battling MS for 35 years. He relies on his wheelchair to get around.
That's what he did on Wednesday, when he was in the area of Clark and Armitage in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
"I believe I was targeted by someone who saw me in a wheelchair, crossing Clark Street," he says.
Around 2 p.m., he was putting his wheelchair back in his vehicle and then sat in the driver's seat. That's when someone smashed his back window and stole his computer and other belongings.
"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he says.
Dirsmith says he called police and filed a report. He's unsure he will be able to recover his belongings but isn't angry.
He's just thankful he wasn't hurt.
"There are so many people that are so much more worse off. I'm blessed," he says.
Dirsmith was in a rental car, which makes the situation more complicated.
He's offering a reward to the robber, if the laptop is returned in good condition.