LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - New surveillance video shows the moment a man dragged an elderly woman in Lauderhill.
Lauderhill Police said the incident took place outside the Sadkin Center along Joy Sawh Street and Northwest 11th Court, just after 9 a.m., Nov. 14.
Officials said a man, believed to be between the ages of 20 and 25, approached Jean Pitters from behind and tried to snatch a necklace off her neck.
An arrest report stated that Pitters, 84, had been walking toward the Sadkin Center when the man attacked. The robbery attempt caused her to fall to the ground and over her walker.
“I grabbed onto my shirt neck, and he grabbed onto it, and he pulled, and I pulled,” the victim told 7News. “He tore my shirt down to the street. Then I realized, wait a minute, he’s probably trying to get my necklace. He was trying to get to my neck. He was scratching and pulling.”
Surveillance cameras positioned at Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant nearby captured the incident along with the subject fleeing northbound toward Lauderhill Mall.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found her shaking with scrapes on her left index finger.
Rescue crews transported Pitters to Plantation General Hospital to be treated for high blood pressure.
Friends of the victim haven’t seen her since the incident.
“I don’t see her,” said Florette Lawrence. “I miss her.”
Community members said they are now alert when they go to the center.
“I stay inside unless I’m going out with someone,” said Dorothy Smith.
“I feel that it’s unsafe to walk alone,” added Annie Parrish, a volunteer at the center. “You should have someone walking with you.”
7News spoke with people near the scene of the attack to get their thoughts.
“What the [expletive]? Excuse me,” one man said. “I don’t like that. That’s somebody’s mom, somebody’s grandma. He don’t have no respect for himself if he do something like that.”
“Oh, my God,” one woman added. “People are crazy.”
Pitters said she will no longer be going back to the center.
“I’m very disappointed, and I think that that guy has to pay,” the victim’s granddaughter Jahzmyn House said speaking over the phone. “I still can’t believe this happened to her.”
The subject was last seen wearing a gray shirt and long blue jeans.
If you have any information on this attack, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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