Search Continues For Men Who Beat, Robbed Two People In Deep Ellum
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Police are trying to catch two criminals who were caught on camera beating and robbing two people over the weekend.
It happened just around 2:30 a.m. Saturday on Canton Street near Henry Street. Good friends Brandon Aruffo and Mikaela Benatti were targeted. Two men beat and robbed them, taking their wallet and purse.
Chris Byers moved to Deep Ellum three years ago and believes brutal attacks are becoming all too common.
"I mean when I first moved here there was nothing here," he said. "We didn't see a lot of that back then."
He said now as new development moves in so are criminals.
"People know now that people with money are here and so as it becomes more affluent I guess this kind of thing is going to happen," he said.
For about the last year the Deep Ellum Foundation has been working to take criminals off the streets. They partnered with the Dallas Police Department through their "Extended Neighborhood Patrol Program."
"The program is funded by business owners and property owners in Deep Ellum," Deep Ellum Foundation Public Safety Manager, Phillip Honore said.
They pay for ten off-duty police officers to patrol the neighborhood. They work mainly Thursdays through Sundays, but as Deep Ellum heats up during the summer months they're adjusting their hours.
"This past week we've had officers working on Tuesday and Wednesday," Honroe said.
Since that program has started, the off-duty officers have made 125 arrests. Sixteen of those arrests happened just this month alone.