Watch: Armed Teens Carjack Elderly Woman Outside Walmart
Police have been looking for three armed juveniles, who were seen in a surveillance footage released Thursday, targeting and following an elderly woman into a Lauderdale Lakes Walmart in Florida and then waiting for her to return to her car in the parking lot in order to steal it, sheriff deputies said.
On Thursday, the Broward Sheriff's Office released the surveillance footage of the armed carjacking incident to help detectives identify the teenagers.
The video shows the three tailing the unidentified woman as she walked into the Walmart store at 3001 N. State Road 7 on Jan. 15 (Monday). They re-emerged in the parking lot once the woman had finished her shopping.
She was seen walking toward her 2015 Toyota Corolla, and as she got closer to the vehicle the trio was seen emerging from the store. While one of the teens went in front of her, the other two waylaid her from behind.
"He quickly pointed a gun at the victim and demanded the keys to the victim's brown 2015 Toyota Corolla,” Broward Sheriff's Office deputies said, according to ABC Action News.
The woman then handed over her keys. Police said the woman spoke to them anonymously and said, “I was friendly because they were kids.”
However, the teens weren’t as friendly and almost hit her with the stolen vehicle as they drove out of the parking lot.
The police are yet find a motive behind the attack, and the woman also said she doesn’t understand why the teens targeted her.
“That’s what I’m asking myself,” she said.
However, Broward Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Gina Carter said she knew why the teens attacked the woman.
“They’re targeting the most vulnerable — elderly woman shopping alone,” Carter said, according to Miami CBS Local.
In the video, all the three teenagers are seen wearing dark blue knit caps, sandals with socks and athletic attire.
Anyone with any information about the thieves is asked to call BSO Detective Armando Enrique at 954-321-4229 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
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