Purse Snatching Thugs Fire At Good Samaritans In Miami
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There were tense moments Wednesday on the streets of Miami as two violent purse snatchers opened fire on two good Samaritans who were following them.
"I never expected this. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before," said the victim Darling Valle, 30.
She was beaten and kicked and robbed at gunpoint of her cell phone and purse.
Valle told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that it all started as she was waiting to be picked up at her home at Northwest 33rd Ave. and N.W. 23rd St. by some friends to be taken to work at the Dolphin Mall. One of the friends is a co-worker at the mall, she said.
"I usually go outside to get picked up," she said. "He calls me to come outside, that he'll be here in 5 minutes. When I was speaking to him on the phone, someone came up and grabbed my phone."
"He dropped the gun and then he picked it up," she said. "That was after he grabbed my phone and then asked me about my purse. He hit me on the side of the face and they cornered me on the side and he kicked me. He already kicked my person and he continued beating me."
"I'm very nervous," she said, talking about the beating and her bruises and the trauma she experienced.
The suspects fled and were followed by her co-worker and a friend who had just arrived at Valle's home to pick her up.
"The offenders fled in a blue Chevrolet and the others tried to follow them to get information for the police," said Miami Police Detective Willie Moreno. "But they stopped when one of the suspects fired at them."
"This happened in broad daylight," said Moreno. "We consider these people extremely dangerous and we would like to get them off the streets."
One Good Samaritan who was driving the vehicle that followed the suspects stayed at the crime scene. But he appeared to be modest and declined to say anything to reporters before leaving.
"He's an incredible person," said Valle. "I have known him for years. This was a big surprise."
"I really want for them to be arrested because these people might do it to someone else," said Valle.
"We are looking for two men," said Moreno. "One suspect is about 35 years old and six feet tall and 200 pounds with long dreads. The other suspect who is also black is in his 20s with short hair and is about five foot eight inches tall and about 160 pounds."
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Miami Police Department's Robbery Unit at (305) 603-6370. Those with information that wish to remain anonymous can contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471- TIPS (4877), visit www.crimestoppersmiami.com and select "Give a Tip" or Send a text message to 274637. Enter CSMD followed by the tip information and press send.
