Mother and Son Arrested in Thefts Targeting Elderly Asians

The burglars are allegedly part of an organized group connected to nearly thirty incidents.



In Southern California, a mother and son duo have been arrested in connection with a string of nearly thirty robberies and distraction thefts targeting elderly Asian people over the last six months.

47-year-old Floarea Ghiocel and her son, 32-year-old Marius Ghiocel, were arrested on suspicion of robbery related to approximately 28 incidents over the past six months. According to Garden Grove police, the two are allegedly part of a group of Romanian travelers responsible for the robberies, all following a similar pattern.

In each case, the burglars targeted elderly Asian people with expensive jewelry. The burglars would approach the victims, remove the jewelry and replace it with a similar fake piece.

More here: Mother and son arrested in string of robberies and thefts targeting elderly Asian people

Badass store owner fights off robber... with bananas

He messed with the wrong lady and her fruit.



File under badass... and bananas. This one comes to us from Canada, where a Mississauga convenience store owner fought off a would-be robber with a bunch of bananas.

Mississauga store owner fights off robber with bananas, video shows

69-year-old Seungae Kim was behind the counter at A&J Convenience, the store she owns and operates with her husband, on Saturday night when a masked man came in and demanded she open the cash register.

She refused. When the man got up on to the counter, Kim and her husband sprung into action. She grabbed the closest thing in reach -- a big bunch of bananas -- are started swinging. And kept swinging.

"Then he jumped up to the counter. My husband pushed him down," Kim told CP24. "Then I was scared my husband was going to be hurt, so I got the bananas and started to hit him so hard and he ran away."

The incident was caught on the store's surveillance video, which shows Kim fighting off the suspect, who fled on foot empty-handed -- but not before she flung the fruit at him as he ran away.

Father of Parkland school shooting survivors killed in armed robbery

61-year-old Ayub Ali was fatally shot at his convenience store on Tuesday.



Damn. In Florida, the father of two students who survived the Parkland school shooting in February was shot and killed Tuesday during an armed robbery at his own convenience store.

Father of Parkland School Shooting Survivors Killed in North Lauderdale Armed Robbery

61-year-old Ayub Ali was working at Aunt Molly's Food Store in North Lauderdale when a man walked in and pulled a gun on him. Surveillance video released by the Broward County Sheriff's Office shows the suspect following Ali around the counter and forcing him to open the cash register at gunpoint.

According to deputies, after robbing the register and leaving the store, the suspect returned to shoot Ali. He was later transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

File Under Badass: Four women fight off restaurant robber

"I just told the other girls to just hurt him and I'll hold the register."



This robber messed with the wrong restaurant -- a restaurant staffed with some badass ladies.

Earlier this month, a man attempting to rob the cash register at Tony's Breakfast in Northeast Washington was met with the full fury of four employees who smacked, slapped and thwacked the crap out of him.

Four women fought off a robber at a restaurant. 'You guys are crazy,' police told them.

On the morning of November 7, manager Justine Choe opened the cash register to make change for a customer, when a man suddenly lunged across the counter and made a grab for a cash drawer.

But Justine, whose parents own the restaurant, was not letting go without a fight. And this dude definitely got a fight. A crazy five-person tug-of-war ensued as three more of the restaurant's employees jumped into the fray.

Philadelphia Councilman David Oh stabbed in robbery

57-year-old councilman stabbed with a knife, expected to make a full recovery.



Philadelphia councilman at-large David Oh was hospitalized after he was stabbed outside his home during an attempted robbery on Wednesday night. Thankfully, he is expected to make a full recovery.

Philly Councilman at-Large David Oh Recovering After Stabbing

Oh was returning home from work, unloading his car when a man approached him and demanded his keys.

"[David Oh] gets out of his car, he's taking his bags out of his car and other things. He gets approached by a black male in his 20s and the male is saying something to him, he can't understand what he's saying," said Lt. John Walker, with the Philadelphia Police Department.

According to police, Oh tried to engage in conversation with the man. That's when the man pulled out a knife, stabbed the councilman once in the left side, then fled the scene.

67-year-old man brutally beaten and robbed in Philadelphia

Shongchai Hang was assaulted by two suspects in broad daylight.



In North Philadelphia, surveillance cameras caught the brutal assault of an elderly man who was beaten and robbed last week by two men on the street in broad daylight. The suspects are still at large.

Suspects attack, rob 67-year-old man in Fern Rock

67-year-old Shongchai Hang was walking in Fern Rock when two men ran towards him and chased him, demanding his wallet and cell phone. Hang tried to run away, but they caught up to him and punched him the face. When he fell on the ground they punched and kicked him until he fell unconscious.

Hang, a Lutheran minister, says one of the men sprayed mace in his face, and then hit him in the forehead with the empty mace can. They took his cell phone and wallet before running off.

The attack was caught on camera:

British tourist dies after San Francisco street attack

Police have released surveillance video of the mugger who stabbed 44-year-old Paul Tam in the head.



In San Francisco, police are looking for two suspects who fatally stabbed a British tourist during a street robbery last month that was caught on surveillance video. The victim died in the hospital last week.

San Franciso police release surveillance video of deadly stabbing of tourist

44-year-old Paul Tam, a web project manager who was visiting San Francisco from Manchester, England, was stabbed in the head after a man and a woman tried to steal his messenger bag. The attack occurred on February 18, at around 8:30 PM, on Post Street between Franklin and Gough Street.

The surveillance video shows Tam trying to get away from the attacker, getting chased onto Post Street right before the assailant pounced and stabbed him in the head. The suspect then fled the scene on foot.

Badass cashier fights off armed robber with her bare hands

This guy messed with the wrong convenience store clerk.



File under badass. In Georgia, security cameras caught a fierce-as-hell convenience store clerk fighting off a would-be robber who pulled a gun on her. Punk-ass thief messed with the wrong woman.

VIDEO: Cashier fights back, slaps gun from robber's hand

Cashier Bhumika Patel was working alone last Tuesday at the Keysville Convenience Store when a hooded customer approached the counter with a can of Mountain Dew. (Really, dude?) The gas station's surveillance video shows him pulling out a gun, demanding the cash from the open register.

Not having any of that nonsense, Patel swats at the robber's hand, trying to get the point-blank gun away from him. After several attempts, she ends up hitting him over the head with the register drawer.

Sufficiently scared, the robber runs off. But Bhumika is not done. She pulls out a hammer from under the counter -- because, of course, she's got a hammer under there -- and chases him out of the store. You're damn right, she's got a hammer. Don't make her use it.

Teen suspect arrested in viral video attack on delivery man

Police arrest 13-year-old who messed with the wrong Chinese takeout guy.



In New York, a 13-year-old boy who was caught on camera attacking and robbing a Chinese food delivery man has been arrested. Police caught the teen suspect after a video of the incident went viral this week.

Suspect Nabbed In Viral Video Attack On Chinese Food Delivery Man

In the video, the teen is seen tormenting a 38-year-old delivery man. As the man comes out of a building, the teen shoves the victim to the ground, then tears the food out of his hands. As the man tries to gather the bags, the teen kicks a container. That's when the delivery man loses it and goes off on the kid, fighting back.

The incident occurred in the Wagner Houses in East Harlem last November, but the video went viral after being posted by Mediatakeout earlier this week:

This Buddhist monk isn't getting his wallet stolen that easily

61-year-old victim fights robber who snatched his wallet.



In Philadelphia, a man was caught on surveillance video robbing of Buddhist monk of his wallet while he was at a gas station. The monk, not ready to lose his money like that, is seen chasing and grabbing at the assailant.

Buddhist monk fights robber

Unfortunately, the robber got away. The 61-year-old victim, dressed in the orange robe of a Buddhist monk, was at a lottery machine -- I guess monks gotta play Powerball too -- inside of a Sunoco gas station in South Philadelphia, when the robber came up to him and snatched his wallet out of his hand.

But the monk wasn't ready to part with his money that easily. He chased after the robber and struggled with him outside the store, but the suspect pushed him to the ground before getting in his car and driving away.

The incident was caught on the gas station's security cameras:

Gas station owner fights off armed robber with his shoe

Armed with nothing more than footwear and guts, 58-year-old Amrik Singh thwarted a masked gunman.



File under badass. Folks, let us give it up for the New York gas station owner who successfully thwarted an attempted armed robbery by throwing his shoe at the gunman and chasing him out of his store.

VIDEOS: Hyde Park store owner fights off gunman

Earlier this month, 58-year-old Amrik Singh, owner of the Citgo gas station in Staatsburg, found himself face to face with a masked man who walked in wielding a shotgun and demanding money. But the gunman, 26-year-old Christopher Dam, messed with the wrong man -- a man armed with a shoe.

Robber calls store clerk 'terrorist,' shoots him in the face

Police are investigating the robbery as a hate crime.



What the hell is going on, America? This shit is out of control. In Michigan, a robber called an Indian convenience store clerk a "terrorist" and accused him of being in ISIS before shooting him the face. Police say they are investigating the robbery as a hate crime.

Robber called store clerk 'terrorist' before shooting him in face, worker says

Thankfully, the victim survived and is expected to recover.

On Saturday night, an armed robber entered Bottlenecks Food and Drink Shop in Grand Rapids and demanded money from the 34-year-old store worker, who is of Indian descent. Then the robber led him to a back storage room where he put the barrel of a long gun into the worker's mouth.

Man brutally beaten and robbed in Brooklyn

George Chen was assaulted by several attackers in Crown Heights.



Damn. Be careful out there, folks. Last week in New York, a 35-year-old man was hospitalized after being brutally beaten and robbed by several attackers while on his way to a friend's apartment in Brooklyn.

Unseen Assailants Rob & Brutally Beat Man In Crown Heights

On Friday night, George Chen was on his way to a friend's place in Crown Heights for his own going-away party -- he was set to leave New York the following week for a new job in Asia -- when he was assaulted by several attackers who beat him with a bat or metal pipe and stole his wallet.

He shared an account of his ordeal with Gothamist via email:

67-year-old man assaulted and robbed by group of teens

David Vo was repeatedly punched in the face by three teen suspects in South St. Louis.



This week in St. Louis, police are investigating the brutal assault and robbery of a 67-year-old man who was repeatedly punched in the face and beaten unconscious by three teenagers on the street.

Man robbed, attacked by teenagers in South STL

David Vo was out for an afternoon walk on Wednesday in South St. Louis when he was approached by three suspects who asked him for money. When he refused and tried to walk away, he was hit in the back of the head and punched in the face. He was found unconscious, suffering from skull fractures and a laceration to the face.

Vo was hospitalized and is still recovering from injuries. His daughter in law, Kris Vo, posted photos from his hospital bed, and cautioned people to be more aware of their surroundings:

News crew robbed at gunpoint during live broadcast

KTVU reporter Cara Liu was going live when a nearby news crew was attacked.



Whoa. When the news becomes the news... On Thursday morning in San Francisco, two local television news crews were attacked and robbed -- live on the air -- while reporting on a homicide at Pier 14.

News crews robbed in S.F., camera operator pistol-whipped

KTVU reporter Cara Liu was live on the air when someone ran up to a nearby news crew from KNTV, which was also reporting from the scene, and robbed them at gun point. The assailant held a gun to a camera operator's head, pistol whipped him, and ran off with a camera and tripod.

Teen arrested in home invasion robbery of his own family

17-year-old Simerjeet Singh allegedly "masterminded" the robbery, caught on home surveillance video.



Last week in San Jose, a teenager was arrested and charged as an adult for his role in setting up and recruiting gang members for a violent home invasion robbery that targeted members of his own family.

Prosecutors: Harrowing San Jose home invasion caught on video was 'masterminded' by owner's son

17-year-old Simerjeet Singh is accused of "masterminding" the home invasion robbery that targeted his father's home in Evergreen last month, enlisting 17-year-old Moses Herrera, 16-year-old Alvaro Valdivia and 22-year-old Moses Torres, three men he apparently knew from school. All four face felony first-degree robbery and burglary charges, with gang enhancements.

The robbery was partially captured on home surveillance video, and widely circulated on news outlets and social media last month. Investigators reportedly caught a break in the case when one of the teens caught on video turned himself in.

Three teens arrested for Chinatown rape and robbery

16-year-old suspects charged in connection with brutal Manhattan attack



This week in New York, police arrested three Brooklyn teenagers in connection with the brutal beating, sexual assault and robbery of a 33-year-old woman they met at an internet cafe in Chinatown.

3 Teenagers Are Arrested in Rape in Chinatown

Eric Pek, Emanuel Burrows and Sanat Asliev -- all 16 years old -- are accused of attacking the victim after meeting her at a nearby high-speed internet cafe late Monday night. The trio raped her and stole her personal belongings, then later tried to rob her apartment, but ran away when they saw someone inside the unit.

Man faces hate crime charges for targeting Asian women

20-year-old Manuel Israel faces a 36-count indictment for attacking five Chinese women.



In New York City, a man faces hate crime charges after allegedly robbing or attempting to rob six women in Brooklyn. He is accused of targeting Asian women because he believed he could overpower them.

20-year-old charged with slew of hate crimes against Asian women

20-year-old Manuel Israel faces a 36-count indictment on charges of robbery as a hate crime after attacking five Chinese women and attempting to rob a sixth two weeks ago. According to prosecutors, he targeted women of Chinese descent because he "perceived them to be vulnerable to attack."

"This defendant allegedly targeted Asian women walking alone because he believed he could overpower them," said District Attorney Ken Thompson. "Such cowardly attacks -- whether based on a person's race, gender, sexuality or ethnicity, destroy the fabric of who we are as a community and won't be tolerated."

Ann Arbor restaurant robbed second time in six months

The owners of Mary's Fabulous Chicken & Fish were robbed Wednesday night at knifepoint.



You've got to kidding me. These folks just can't catch a break. In Michigan, less than six months after being brutally beaten and robbed by two teens outside of his restaurant, the owner of Mary's Fabulous Chicken and Fish in Ann Arbor was robbed again -- at knife point -- this week.

Mary's Fabulous Chicken and Fish owners robbed for 2nd time in 6 months

On Wednesday night, an assailant entered the restaurant, pushed 75-year-old Yong Kim to the ground and held his wife, 68-year-old Doo Kim, at knifepoint. The robber then took about $120 and ran away. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the incident. But damn, this restaurant could use some better luck.

Last summer, Mr. Kim was attacked outside the restaurant while he was walking to his car. Two teens punched, kicked and beat Kim with a plastic milk crate before robbing him and running away with his wallet. The suspects were arrested and pleaded guilty in the assault.

Two teens plead guilty to assault on restaurant owner

16-year-old boys admit to brutally beating and robbing Yong Kim



News out of Michigan... Last week in Ann Arbor, two 16-year-old boys pleaded guilty to robbery and assault charges in the brutal assault on an elderly restaurant owner outside his business last summer.

Teens admit to severely beating Ann Arbor restaurant owner with milk crate

Antonio Young and Carmichael Chavis, who were arrested in September, admitted that they attacked 74-year-old Yong Kim, owner of Mary's Fabulous Chicken and Fish, while he was walking to his car. They punched, kicked and beat Kim with a plastic milk crate before robbing him and running away with his wallet.