Security video captured the moment a thief ransacked a shop in Chinatown before brutally attacking an elderly woman inside.
The robbery happened on Thursday at Angies Boutique on the 800 block of North Broadway around noontime.
The shop owner said the man, who was captured on surveillance camera, had come into the store a day earlier to purchase items and scope out the place.
As the suspect entered the shop on Thursday, he began quickly taking items from behind store counters as an older woman tried to stop him.
As she tries to physically stop him, he shoves her to the ground. She gets up and tries once again to stop him, but this time, he punches her in the face. As she falls to the ground, she begins bleeding profusely.
“One of our elderly workers was opening the shop and as he came in, she tried to stop him and he punched her in the face and now she’s in the hospital,” said the store owner, who was not identified. “Her eyes are swollen shut and we don’t know if she’ll be able to see so we’re just praying for her quick recovery.”
The suspect is seen dashing out of the store holding a box of unknown items.
The owner said they’ve been in business for 20 years and this is the first time something like this has happened.
He said he noticed the man acting suspiciously the day before and he notified security to keep an eye on the man. Unfortunately, when the suspect returned the next day, security was not on the premises at the time.
The elderly woman, a beloved community member who has worked at the shop for around 20 years, remains hospitalized.
“She’s a very well-loved woman in this neighborhood, the owner said. “She helps out a lot of people here. Whenever they need food or money, she goes out of her way to help people so she doesn’t deserve this. It’s sad.”
The owner said they’re waiting for the swelling to decrease before doctors began scanning for any internal bleeding.
By releasing the security footage, the owner hopes the suspect can be identified and arrested before he targets another business. Police are also investigating the incident.
“We just hope we can find this guy and he can be put behind bars,” the owner said.
Full video of the theft can be seen in the video player above.
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