BSO: Armed Thieves Caught On Surveillance Less Than An Hour After Crime
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DEERFIELD BEACH (CBSMiami) – It was around 2 a.m. on Friday, April 29th, when a woman named Emily and her friend were walking home from a night out in Deerfield Beach after a long day of work.
Emily, who asked us not to reveal her last name, said it was later than she usually walks. But it was a short distance from her home and she feels safe in the area just south of Hillsboro Boulevard on A1A.
After what would happen next, she says she doesn't feel safe anymore.
Emily said a group of young black men approached her and her friend. Emily, being a kind-hearted person, said hello. She could not predict what would happen next.
"They were grabbing at my backpacks and they had guns out," she said. "They grabbed me by my hair and my backpack and threw me down, ripped my backpack off of me."
Her friend was able to run away after being thrown to the ground. Emily could not. The men got away with a bunch of her belongings.
Emily said they used her credit card at a Hollywood gas station less than an hour later.
The Broward Sheriff's Office released video Wednesday of the men at that gas station.
One of the men got out of the green car and walked into the store.
Detectives hope someone recognizes the members of the group and turns them in.
"You can't do that to people," Emily said. "Your actions have consequences. It's not just about taking people's things. It's about taking people's sense of safety."
Emily is upset about losing her stuff but more upset about how this violent incident affected her life.
"I don't want to have that sense of fear, for people I don't know," she said. "It's not me. No one else should go through that. It's very senseless and they didn't seem to have any regard for human life."
If you know who the thieves are, contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.
