A shocking robbery unfolded in Orlando, Florida, when an 83-year-old woman was violently mugged for her lottery winnings.
Elderly woman mugged for scratch-off cash
Security footage captured every moment of the incident, showing the suspect attack the woman as she tried to get into her car after leaving a convenience store, then fleeing the scene.
The attack happened outside a store located on Curry Ford Road near South Goldenrod Road, as confirmed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Surveillance footage shared by authorities reveals the suspect dressed in a red jacket and a dark baseball cap stealthily approaching the elderly woman as she walked toward her car.
She seemed unaware of his presence until he was just feet from her, but became painfully aware of his intentions, when the man abruptly reached for the items in her hands.
She can be seen resisting in the footage and pulling her hands away, which is when the store manager came outside to help.
The two men exchanged words briefly, and it appeared as if the robber might leave. But within seconds, he turned back and lunged at the woman.
The store manager rushed to help, grabbing the suspect’s arms from behind while the victim fought to keep her belongings.
During the struggle, the woman fell to the ground, and the thief snatched something from her hand before escaping the scene.
The store manager quickly turned back to assist the woman, who remained on the ground.
Police ask public for help identifying suspect
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Diego Stalin Tavarez Fleury and put out a Facebook post that included the video and a plea to help find him.
With the public’s help, deputies received a tip leading them to a residence about half a mile from the store.
According to a report from WOFL-TV, Fleury attempted to flee but was apprehended just one street over.
He was arrested within 24 hours of committing the crime and now faces charges of robbery, sudden snatching, and battery on a person aged 65 or older, as confirmed by ABC News.
The elderly victim, Ruth Monroe, wasted no time returning to her usual activities.
Speaking to reporters outside the same store—Buddy’s Food and Lotto—just a day later, Monroe said, “I’m
83. I’ve never gotten punched.”
With her left hand wrapped in a bandage, she admitted, “I don’t remember hitting the ground. For me and my age, I wasn’t scared. But looking at his face—his face was cold.”
Elderly woman mugged by teenagers
A disturbingly similar incident occurred earlier this month in New York City. On New Year’s Day, a group of four teenage girls nearly mugged 71-year-old Linda Rosa while she waited for the subway at the Hoyt Street station in Brooklyn.
Rosa, a retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker, recounted the harrowing incident to the New York Post.
The teens first reached for her purse. “And then I [said to myself], ‘Oh, no, this is not going to happen today,’” Rosa explained.
Things quickly took a violent turn as a second teen lunged for the bag, asking, “Oh, you want to fight?” Despite the threat, Rosa refused to back down.
“The first person kept fighting,” she recalled. “She punched me in my face, and I have my glasses on, and I have a cut on my nose. When she punched me in my face, my glasses flew to the floor.”
Rosa added, “Meanwhile the other young lady was still trying to distract me to get my pocketbook or go into my purse, to snatch something out of my purse.”
Elderly doesn’t get mugged, fights off teens
The struggle intensified when the teens managed to take Rosa’s pocket pouch containing her ID and medical documents, but she refused to give up.
While wrestling with one of the attackers, Rosa attempted to kick the teen between her legs.
But my leg wouldn’t stretch far enough, so I believe that’s when I fell. I fell, and then she stomped on me,” Rosa said.
Fearing for her life, Rosa summoned every ounce of strength. “I got an impression in me that she was going to stomp me again, but she was going to aim towards my head,” she said.
Rosa acted fast, grabbing one attacker by her braids and twisting them around her hand. “I had her head down,” she explained. When another teen demanded she release her accomplice, Rosa shot back, “Oh, no, I’m not letting her go.”
When the teen who initially grabbed her pocket pouch charged toward her, Rosa grabbed her hair as well.
“Out of nowhere, I grabbed her hair and twisted it around my left hand,” she said. “I had them both facedown… [like] rams when they’re getting ready to fight.”
The teenagers began screaming for her to release them, and Rosa shouted for help.
Eventually, Rosa released the two girls, and all four teens fled the scene. Rosa gathered her scattered belongings and headed to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, where staff called for help.
She was later transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Reflecting on the incident, Rosa expressed gratitude for her survival. “Thank God they didn’t have no weapons,” she said, adding, “I thank God I didn’t have a heart attack and a stroke and die!”
Regarding her teenage attackers, Rosa remarked, “They don’t know what they did. It’s just teenagers acting foolish.”
She added that crimes targeting seniors are becoming increasingly common. “It could happen to anybody… any station, any street.”
Authorities later apprehended all four suspects—ages 13, 14, and two 15-year-olds—and charged them with robbery, assault, and harassment.
