Boxing promoter Don King (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Hundreds of needy South Floridians were disappointed to learn Friday that a truck loaded with Christmas turkeys to be donated by boxing promoter Don King had been hijacked.
Don King’s spokesman Robert Weneck said the truck full of 2,000 turkeys bound for South Florida went missing over night. The truck was found abandoned near Pompano Beach sometime Friday morning, according to Weneck.
While the turkeys were still inside, the fowl had to be discarded because nobody was sure whether they’d been temperature-controlled and safe to eat.
“I just hope everything gets better for us,” said Dorothy Clay from Deerfield Beach, who was supposed to receive a turkey. “It’s very hard,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye, “it’s very hard.”
Don King, a resident of Delray Beach, has been giving away turkeys at Christmas time for years. But unfortunately, hundreds of people in West Palm Beach, Deerfield Beach and Miami came away empty-handed this year.
“They tell me that the truck has been hijacked,” said King, “and that we ain’t got no turkeys to give, so we’ve got to figure out a plan “b” of when we can get a truck.”
There is some good news however. Weneck said a date to replace the turkeys will be determined on Monday.
97 Comments
Those darn Irish kids , hijacking trucks again!
December 17, 2011 at 10:13 am | | Report comment
May it was Obama’s “civilian security force” or some of Holder’s “people”
December 17, 2011 at 11:55 am | | Report comment
Your name is quite accurate!
December 17, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I thought it was Tony Soprano’s guys until I found out the birds were still in the trailer.
December 17, 2011 at 4:53 pm
lol, so is your name, PITTman.
December 17, 2011 at 5:29 pm
More of obama and Pelosi’s job creations. Now that the turkey’s have been thrown away, they have to buy more, tha put’s more people to work at the turkey processing plant, then they have to pay someone to package them and box them up, then to ship them, then who made the packaging and the boxes, those people had to be hired as well, then it has to go to the store, the store had to hire personnel to sell the turkeys, then King has to buy them again, and then has to pay someone to load them and transport them…. so you see this is nothing more than the creation of new jobs under the obama administrations!
December 17, 2011 at 12:13 pm | | Report comment
Except that everyone at the processing and packaging plants were illegals.
December 17, 2011 at 8:02 pm
I guarantee it happened in Miami Gardens.
AKA Where my of Eric Holder’s “People” reside.
Anyone surprised?
December 17, 2011 at 12:17 pm | | Report comment
Eric’s Hilder’s “People” reside next door to you!
December 17, 2011 at 3:54 pm
As long as Eldon Pittman’s people don’t live around us, we will all be fine.
December 17, 2011 at 5:30 pm
HA! Exactly what I was thinking – EVERYBODY KNOWS who “hi-jacked” that truck, EVERYBODY. More “urban yoots” run amok.
We as a society are breeding a generation of self entitled, dangerous, soulless “land sharks” who will kill you for a pack of cigs and $2.00.
I say build more prisons and let ‘em kill each other – behind bars.
December 17, 2011 at 3:01 pm | | Report comment
“Yoots” mostly live in your neighborhood..and cruise the urban area at night looking for crack!
December 17, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Most of Eldon Pittman Junior’s people already reside in jail or on probation or some other form of court-ordered supervision – Thank God!
December 17, 2011 at 5:33 pm
I’m curious Eldon Pittman Jr., do you actually have some sort of argument?? Or just snarky, meaningless comments??
December 17, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Nah… I heard it was that Jewish-Asian gang again — Sosumi.
December 17, 2011 at 6:05 pm | | Report comment
Speaking of turkeys………
December 17, 2011 at 10:15 am | | Report comment
Good on him. Why don’t more celebrities do good for people instead of talking about it or bi—ing about the system!!!!
December 17, 2011 at 10:17 am | | Report comment
“nobody was sure whether they’d been temperature-controlled”
They’d? What is next? LOL and OMG in a news piece?
December 17, 2011 at 10:22 am | | Report comment
It’s a commonly used word. Don’t be afraid to use apostrophe. E.g., “What’s”
December 17, 2011 at 10:56 am | | Report comment
Contraction of what exactly? “They” and what?
I’m sure, you’re thinking of they’VE…. As in They and Have.
December 17, 2011 at 5:59 pm
“They’d” = “They had.” My big beef is with people who write “I would of gone” instead of “I would’ve gone” (as in “would have”).
When I was learning English in public school we actually learned to read, write and SPELL it correctly. No whut ah’m sayin’ yo? You be feelin’ dat?
December 17, 2011 at 6:10 pm
It’s called a contraction and it’s perfectly acceptable.
December 17, 2011 at 11:25 am | | Report comment
Those damn South Florida senior citizens, hi-jacking trucks again.
December 17, 2011 at 11:46 am | | Report comment
LOL…..you can’t make this stuff up, folks……..
December 17, 2011 at 10:25 am | | Report comment
Hey, better than the GREAT TURKEY DROP ep from WKRP in the late 70′s, as Mr Carlson would say, “AS GOD AS MY WITNESS I SWEAR TURKEYS COULD FLY!!”
December 17, 2011 at 10:26 am | | Report comment
“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”
December 17, 2011 at 12:26 pm | | Report comment
Gary7, Your memory about the great turkey drop is right on. I told my wife about it when I saw the current article and the drop occurred a long time ago.
I believe the turkeys were donated and then pushed from the top floor of a temporary structure the firefighters used to practce their trade.
After launchng, the turkeys just set their wings and went to whatever destination their wings took them; some through windows of businesses and some took out some of the pepople who were looking up, awaiting the arrival of their free turkey. You can’t make this stuff up.
December 17, 2011 at 3:43 pm | | Report comment
Occupy Poultry
December 17, 2011 at 10:27 am | | Report comment
Only in America
December 17, 2011 at 10:29 am | | Report comment
Miami is part of America?
Try visiting, it looks like a mixture of Cuba and Haiti.
December 17, 2011 at 12:47 pm | | Report comment
I never understood why people always say that about something that happens world wide. Unless you are talking about Don King buying turkeys for people in Florida. In which case, you are correct and I respectably withdraw.
December 17, 2011 at 2:31 pm | | Report comment
More people should reach out to those in need, forget big brother, help your friends in neighbors. Good for Don King, wish more celebs would use their money and fame for this stuff instead of telling us how intellectual they are.
Three cheers for Don King!
December 17, 2011 at 10:31 am | | Report comment
If the gov’t would leave me more of my money I would!
December 17, 2011 at 12:03 pm | | Report comment
EXCELLENT comment!
December 17, 2011 at 2:18 pm
as god is my witness , i thought turkeys stayed fresh
December 17, 2011 at 10:37 am | | Report comment
I was just thinking “he should have used a helicopter…”
December 17, 2011 at 11:59 am | | Report comment
Why would there be any concern that the turkeys were “temperature controlled” ? When chickens and turkeys are shipped around here, they are usually in crates and quite noisy. There was no mention that any of them died overnight, so what is the issue?
Now even if they were shipping dead turkeys, someone should have been able to determine if the interior was still cold or if the doors were open, but none of that is mentioned in the story. Were the turkeys not only dead but possibly frozen> Again, not mentioned. If they were, they would have to be thawed in order to cook them. If they were partially thawed overnight, they can still be cooked when the thawing is complete, so again, what is the problem?
December 17, 2011 at 11:02 am | | Report comment
Why were the turkeys thrown away? Makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. We own a refrigerated trucking company. Reefer trailers are MADE to hold temperature for at least 12 hours, even if the reefer unit takes a dump and is completely off in the middle of the summer in Arizona. And a full load of frozen turkeys would take at least 4 days to thaw out without the reefer running at akk.
Ladies, did you ever take a solidly frozen turkey out of the freezer and put it in your refrigerator (which runs at 40-44 degrees)? Takes 3-4 days to thaw out ONE turkey in the refrigerator. A full load of solid frozen turkey-not a chance it was thawed overnight. This story is a joke. Something smells about this story and it ain’t thawed out turkey.
USDA has inspectors all over the country. Call in the USDA, have them check the turkeys. It is what refrigerated trucking companies do all the time if we suspect there may be a problem with temperature or safety of a refrigerated product.
A pulp thermometer (which EVERY truck driver who hauls refrigerated product has in his truck) would tell very quickly whether these turkeys had been thawed.
December 17, 2011 at 1:59 pm | | Report comment
You are talking governmental conrol here- If either the USDA or FL Dept of Ag had any question as to if the food has been compromised, they will not let it be sold or given away, and if after this, someone got sick, they would sue King.
Most likely they were frozen at -32 to -40, but in an area that is humid especially, it does not take long to mess with the interior of a reefer
December 17, 2011 at 6:43 pm | | Report comment
Since when is frozen -32 to -40??? Or is that centigrade???
We haul a lot of frozen food. USDA standard for frozen is 10 degrees or below (depends on the product and product density) and that is the way they ship turkeys UNLESS the customer specifically asks for them to be thawed. I believe we hauled 5 loads of turkeys this year before Thanksgiving-ALL solidly frozen upon receipt from the processor and solidly frozen when we delivered them to Arizona. And with the distribution being a week from Xmas, no one would ask for thawed turkeys. You would have to cook them by Wednesday or Thursday-no later or the turkeys WOULD go bad.
I can almost guarantee the turkeys left the processing plant SOLIDLY frozen. And a truck missing “overnight” is not that big a deal, particularly when it was found not far from where if was going to be delivered.
Humidity has little to do with a tightly sealed reefer trailer. That is the purpose of the reefer-to control the humidity and temperature.
Almost sounds to me like an insurance scam. Get the trucking company’s insurance to pay for the load of turkeys. Not saying Don King had anything to do with it but the driver sure could have.
December 17, 2011 at 8:24 pm
It was probably the justice brothers.
December 17, 2011 at 11:12 am | | Report comment
In other news;
The RBAA (Retired Boxers Association of America) claimed responsilility for the fowl act perpetrated on all those turkeys.
December 17, 2011 at 11:14 am | | Report comment
Probably an insurance fraud scam that Don King made money from doing.
December 17, 2011 at 11:20 am | | Report comment
1. don King doesn’t need money and 2. Don King and his wife have contributed, hosted and raised more charitable dollars, that you will probably see in your lifetime. He contributes to many children’s charities, and even Jewish charities. So get your facts straight before making such accusations. Now if you want to lay waste to an African American who does NOT help the people he supposedly fights for, Try Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. or Al Sharpton. But Don King, is above them all.
December 17, 2011 at 12:33 pm | | Report comment
the so called poor should stop selling their food stamps to buy drugs, and they wouldnt need free turkeys
December 17, 2011 at 11:27 am | | Report comment
Sounds fishy. And I agree it is a good thing to give away turkeys. But It sickens me there are people that whine and moan, “oh woah is me! I can’t gets me a free turkey! Can my life get any worse?” I mean, really?
.
December 17, 2011 at 11:59 am | | Report comment
It’s all about ‘Promotion’. The turkeys we paid to take a dive!
December 17, 2011 at 12:16 pm | | Report comment
“And Mohammad Turkey hits the canvas, what an upset!!”
December 17, 2011 at 12:24 pm | | Report comment
It was Al Sharpton , he needs the money to pay his taxes.
December 17, 2011 at 12:22 pm | | Report comment
“It’s very hard,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye, “it’s very hard.”
STOP BEING ON THE DEMOCRAT PLANTATION THEN!!!! I mean c’mon! I was poor once also! I didn’t like it so I decided not to be poor anymore!
December 17, 2011 at 12:26 pm | | Report comment
Exactly. I lived off canned ravioli and canned veggies for nearly a year while working two minimum wage jobs before finding one that matched my background and skills and paid accordingly. If I can live like that in this nation, anyone can. NO excuses.
December 17, 2011 at 12:53 pm | | Report comment
Ditto. I started out living in a Saturn SL2, taking showers at the YMCA, ironing out my clothes in the front seat, and waiting tables while taking interviews. 30 days later, I landed a better job, lived in a pigeon hole apartment, saved my pennies, found a better job, and today…I have a house I can afford, a decent car, good credit, and my own business. I’ve never been on the dole.
You just have to be willing to start off at the bottom, and never give up!
December 17, 2011 at 3:38 pm | | Report comment
You know Don King killed a man once, did time, hard time.
Now look at him, a multi MILLIONAIRE!!! If he can do it so can you!
You Democrat inner city serfs are HOPELESS
December 17, 2011 at 12:28 pm | | Report comment
Most of the “serfs” live in Appalachia…or have you failed to consider that?
December 17, 2011 at 4:00 pm | | Report comment
Don King hijacked most of Mike Tyson’s money – as they do…
December 17, 2011 at 5:34 pm | | Report comment
Mike Tyson, the former undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, says of his former manager Don King, “(King is) a wretched, slimy, reptilian mother f’er. This is supposed to be my ‘black brother’ right? He’s just a bad man, a real bad man. He would kill his own mother for a dollar. He’s ruthless, he’s deplorable, he’s greedy, and he doesn’t know how to love anybody.”
LOL, oh yeah those turkeys got hijacked!
December 17, 2011 at 12:34 pm | | Report comment
Mike Tyson moved to eloquence? That suggests real candor. I wouldn’t automatically say though that this means the turkey giveaway is a scam, or the theft. And no one should indict the act prima facia. This is the sort of thing people should be doing if they intend to aid the poor. I also hesitate to laugh at the tears of a mother trying to feed her children. She may be all you imply and I agree generally that “entitlements” are noxious, unsustainable and socially damaging but it’s not a laughing matter.
December 17, 2011 at 7:20 pm | | Report comment
How DARE day be stealin’ OUR free turkeys!!!
How we be gonna get OUR free turkeys if days be takin’ ‘em……….
Isn’t this just an extension of O’Bozo’s redistribution of wealth?
December 17, 2011 at 12:40 pm | | Report comment
Don King is a Republican! As for anyone talking like that, it’s mostly young white kids who act blacker than the blackest black!
December 17, 2011 at 4:02 pm | | Report comment
As someone who is in the logistics and warehousing industry, this was most likely a random trailer jack with the hopes that some expensive electronics were inside. My company has had three stolen trailers to file a claim against just in the past two years. This will only increase as people get more desperate in this horrid economy.
But hijacking tractor trailers is nothing new. The idea behind it is as old as hijacking and robbing stagecoaches and trains.
December 17, 2011 at 12:59 pm | | Report comment
i’m sure they will find a way to BLAME the WHITE people on this…so many of us are sick of the latino/black neighborhoods being dysfunctional…the race card NO longer works. many of these people create their own problems and we are so sick of these groups…
December 17, 2011 at 1:32 pm | | Report comment
Well just look for the BLACKS selling 2000 Turkeys somewhere. Really WHO steals turkeys? Chances are they never really existed in the first place.
December 17, 2011 at 2:01 pm | | Report comment
Can people NOT read, they stole the truck, probably thought there was something worthwhile in it, when they opened it up and found turkeys they abandoned it. No one took the turkeys and no one is selling them. Please rad more than just the headlines before commenting.
December 17, 2011 at 3:16 pm | | Report comment
Oh and before the spelling police come out, here is the E in the last sentence to be inserted. should be “read” not “rad”.
December 17, 2011 at 3:18 pm
At $1.09/lb @15 lb average= $16.45 birdx 2,000=$3,290,000.
To me, that is worth something
December 17, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Read the article! The turkeys were still in the truck!
December 17, 2011 at 4:02 pm | | Report comment
Well , knowing the Don King is a GOP/REPUBLICAN..perhaps it was some Scrooge Liberal behind this disgusting act.
December 17, 2011 at 2:50 pm | | Report comment
very true. D.K. is a. good man with his heart in the right place…
December 17, 2011 at 3:05 pm | | Report comment
If you do a quick google search of don king and charity, Don King contributes ALOT especially to children, He has also contributed to some Jewish Charities. On the whole, and this is an undisputed fact, canyone can look this up. REPUBLICANS donate more to charities that the Liberal Democrats. The liberal democrats are usually the ones with their hands out.
December 17, 2011 at 3:22 pm | | Report comment
Don got a load of ‘already spoiled’ Turkeys on the cheap, Then arranged for the bogus load to be hijacked to collect the insurance money.
What is someone gonna do with 2000 going rotten Turkeys?
Pretty hard to hide or resell without arousing suspicion.
Must throw the birds away of course. Right away. Might be spoiled. wink wink
Like people ship 2000 dressed Turkeys around in trucks without refrigeration.
Don still gets the props too.
How convenient.
December 17, 2011 at 3:02 pm | | Report comment
“DOWN GOES GOBBLER, DOWN GOES GOBBLER, DOWN GOES GOBBLER!”
December 17, 2011 at 3:04 pm | | Report comment
I blame george Bush!
December 17, 2011 at 3:13 pm | | Report comment
Don King is a TUKEY!!
December 17, 2011 at 3:19 pm | | Report comment
this is saddddddddddddd
December 17, 2011 at 3:23 pm | | Report comment
“With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” — WKRP
December 17, 2011 at 3:43 pm | | Report comment
Please take your white trash ways and your evil beliefs to Boston, tie a rope and mill stone around your neck, and cast yourself in. Thank you, Tea Party Movement
December 17, 2011 at 4:02 pm | | Report comment
Nice try but we know you are just another racist liberal.
December 17, 2011 at 4:05 pm | | Report comment
I guess some areas you need an escort with a convoy of Humvees.
Kudos to Don King. Don, you’ve got class and heart. Thanks.
December 17, 2011 at 4:16 pm | | Report comment
I seriously doubt this story because a meat inspector could have been called to make a decision and if that was not fit for human consumption it could have been fed to animals.
December 17, 2011 at 4:25 pm | | Report comment
That is exactly right.
December 17, 2011 at 4:47 pm | | Report comment
It was PETA
December 17, 2011 at 4:43 pm | | Report comment
Even if it was unclear if turkeys were frozen enough to go to humans, they could still go to animal shelters. Large dogs can eat raw turkey, bones, skin and all, whether or not they’ve been carefully frozen. Zoos could also use the turkeys as food.
December 17, 2011 at 4:46 pm | | Report comment
For a guy who certainly has his demons, and one that I’ve been quite critical of over the years and usually deservedly so, I commend King for trying to do something good for people during the holidays.
America has lots of problems, but most of them would cease being problems if we just cared for each other as we are all called to do.
December 17, 2011 at 4:52 pm | | Report comment
likely somebody was just tryin’ to get a little sumthin’ sumthin’ under the ole kwanza tree. jigs deprived of there gibs me dat free turkeys because of other jigs. that’s rich!
December 17, 2011 at 4:54 pm | | Report comment
Why don’t you just use your food stamps (I mean S.N.A.P. welfare benefits). Oh yeah, I forgot, you have to spend that free money on chips and soda because your poor children (too many of them) cannot get that at school with their free at school lunches (and breakfast). Can we just turn the page now and admit that we are the USSA and we are failing? EEOC.
December 17, 2011 at 5:08 pm | | Report comment
No they sell the Food Stamps …Im sorry SNAP for 50 cents on the dollar. Thats how Obamas children do it !
December 17, 2011 at 7:06 pm | | Report comment
I heard it was part of operation Fast N Furious , and was hijacked by the Mexican cartels. As usual AG Holder denies and knowlege.
December 17, 2011 at 5:09 pm | | Report comment
“Only In America” He said it~~!1 lol.
December 17, 2011 at 5:24 pm | | Report comment
Never liked Mr. King but he was trying to do a good thing. Sucks what happened.
December 17, 2011 at 5:33 pm | | Report comment
“and that we ain’t got no turkeys ”
Sure you do Don. You gots turkeys in da white haus my man.
December 17, 2011 at 5:34 pm | | Report comment
“They tell me that the truck has been hijacked,” said King, “and that we ain’t got no turkeys to give,…”
Ebonics 101 for the uninitiated…
December 17, 2011 at 5:43 pm | | Report comment
Publicity stunt! There never were any turkeys, just Don I need a new do King looking for public sympathy…
December 17, 2011 at 5:45 pm | | Report comment
Don King is a good man. No doubt, he will get more turkeys.
December 17, 2011 at 5:54 pm | | Report comment
Far Left Politically Correct Media we know who hijacked the Turkey truck…….it was the same people who were going to be killing each other in line “Fo They Free Turgey” . When the race of the criminal is not mentioned it is allways Obama Children !
December 17, 2011 at 7:05 pm | | Report comment
Wow, not much pushback on the racial angle. Maybe it was bruthas who took the truck. Probably it was. So what? The copper thieves prove to be an integrated crowd. So do the smash-and-grabbers. It is well past time to get rid of special privileges for blacks whether social or legal but it is no time to restore special blame. I can’t believe it is left to a dude like me to point this out.
December 17, 2011 at 7:27 pm | | Report comment
Was the plan to let the turkeys loose from a helicopter flying above the crowd? (WKRP in Cincinnati – Les Nessman, News Anchor)
December 17, 2011 at 8:23 pm | | Report comment
Regardless of the hijacking, the turkeys will still end up in the inner city.
December 17, 2011 at 8:32 pm | | Report comment