Police: Robber Rips Necklaces Off Grandmother's Neck
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TAMARAC (CBSMiami) -- Dagimar Rocco was leaving a supermarket in Tamarac Monday afternoon when police say a man attacked her and ripped three gold chains from her neck. The 76-year-old grandmother, who walks with a cane, said it was a brutal attack.
"(They) take everything and throw on the…my body on the floor," she said.
Dalequion Everett and Deandre Miller are charged with the crime.
Rocco said the gold chains have been in her family for nearly a century. Coral Springs Police, who were tracking the men following an unrelated burglary at a park in their city, say one man attacked her as Rocco and her husband left the supermarket parking while another robber sat in a getaway car. Rocco suffered a nasty cut on her face and bruises on her body.
"I think it's bad what they did," she said in Spanish. "I think they shouldn't do that to any person."
Miller and Everett stood before Judge John Hurley Tuesday.
"The court is concerned with the level of violence," Hurley told the men.
The judge was also concerned with the apparent planning of the crime. Detectives told the judge the men drove around the parking lot for about 45 minutes beforehand, seeking someone to rob.
"It looked like you were casing the area, trying to find a victim," the judge said.
Everett is being held on $100-thousand bond. Miller will have a bond hearing at another time.
Rocco is pleased the men have been caught and that detectives were able to return her jewelry.
"The police are beautiful, beautiful," she said. "I love the police."
She said two of the pieces have religious significance, leaving Rocco to believe a higher power was protecting her.
"God was with me," she said.
A crime prevention expert said there are some things you can do to avoid being a victim of a crime like this. For instance, leave expensive or meaningful jewelry at home and always travel with someone else because there is safety in numbers.