A young punk waited until an elderly man was unloading his groceries to attempt to steal his car. However, the criminal quickly realized that the senior citizen wasn’t as helpless as he thought when his victim turned the tables on him.
Oftentimes, criminals will scope out the most vulnerable victims to rob, hoping that they can’t defend themselves or their property. Of course, when it comes to sheer physical strength, this is almost always true of elderly citizens. That’s why a hopeful criminal confronted an older gentleman who he thought would be an easy target.
Philadelphia police say that a 69-year-old man was unloading groceries from his car when a 24-year-old suspect approached him for the purpose of stealing his car. The incident occurred in the victim’s driveway on the 8000 block of Rodney Street in the Cedarbrook area just before noon.
According to WPVI, the 24-year-old suspect walked up to the elderly victim and brandished a pistol, telling him “this is a robbery.” The suspect pointed the gun at the victim and demanded his car. However, the elderly victim wasn’t going down without a fight.
Police say that before the carjacker could even react, the victim lunged and grabbed him in an attempt to take him down. The pair engaged in a struggle, but the suspect ultimately lost. Incredibly, the elderly victim managed to wrestle the firearm out of the hands of his attacker, turning it against the robber. The victim then squeezed the trigger, firing off a single shot.
The round reportedly grazed the suspect’s stomach, leaving him with a serious wound but still alive. Apparently, the wound was enough to dissuade the carjacker from his intended theft, and he fled on foot. The suspect was later transported to Albert Einstein Medical Center and was listed as being in stable condition. The victim suffered a superficial bite on his hand but did not require medical treatment.
Neighbors heard the fight and immediately called the police. Luckily, the suspect left his firearm behind during his escape, which was a key piece of evidence for investigators. Detectives don’t believe the carjacker had known or targeted the victim beforehand but had been “cruising” the area for a distracted person entering or exiting their vehicle.
“Usually older people are left alone by criminals, but the rules of the game have changed. I mean, kids are getting shot, we have now people being carjacked in their late 60s,” said Philadelphia Police Captain John Walker.
Police arrested the suspect and charged him with robbery, carjacking, and several other offenses, The Blaze reported. Investigators confirmed that the victim would not face charges for defending himself.
“We know that these carjackings are moments of opportunities. We ask people to just pay attention. When you’re driving up to your home, make sure there’s nobody walking. If there’s somebody walking you don’t recognize, go around the block another time,” said Walker.
While residents are being told to practice even more caution when stepping outside, some have been inspired to exercise their Second Amendment right.
“That’s wonderful. I am going to go get a permit to carry a gun because of this,” said Donny Uday, who lives nearby.
The victim’s neighbors have been inspired by the man’s courage and tenacity. However, they are also aware that this could happen to anyone, and they might not be as successful at fighting off an armed attacker as their elderly neighbor was.
There will always be someone bigger and stronger who wants to do harm to innocent civilians. Fortunately, as the neighbors understand, properly arming oneself is the great equalizer.
