Veteran’s Day Mugging: Two Arrested in Attack of 91-Year-Old Former Marine in Colo.
The Veteran's Day mugging case may have finally been solved. Westminster, Colo. police arrested two suspects Tuesday in connection with the mugging of a 91-year-old Marine Corps veteran on Veteran's Day in November of last year.
Investigator Trevor Materasso told ABC 7 in Denver that the suspects had been watching the veteran as he was shopping with his wife, 65, at a Kings Soopers.
You can see the suspect hovering around the check stand, actually watching the victim take cash out of his wallet, Materasso told ABC 7.
Suspects, Jose Luis Pizarro, 33, and Jill Erickson, 44, then followed the couple to their home and attacked the veteran from behind, stealing his wallet, as he unloaded groceries.
Being the gentleman that this Marine and veteran is, he takes his wife inside then goes back outside to unload the groceries, Materasso told ABC 7. This (thief) tackles him from the back, actually takes him to the ground, takes his wallet out of his back pocket, jumps up and takes off running.
The victim called police immediately after the attack. He suffered minor injuries to his legs.
Westminster police report the suspects were identified via tips.
If it hadn't been for these tips I don't think we would have identified him, Westminster Police Detective Judy Grigg said in a press release. I couldn't have been more pleased than when we confirmed the tip that pointed to Jose Pizarro. We work every case hard, but how could you not work this case just a little bit harder? This could be your grandfather.
Pizarro and Erickson face stringent charges for two felonies, robbery to an at-risk adult and for possession of more than two grams of methamphetamine.
Erickson is out of jail on $10,000 bond, but Pizarro is being held on $50,000 bail at the Jefferson County Jail, reports the Denver Post. Neither suspect has a history of serious offenses.
Westminster police refused to release the name of the veteran.
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