SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Vietnam veteran is speaking out about his terrifying encounter with a man who ambushed and robbed him while he tried to withdraw money from an ATM.
“I was in the fourth infantry,” said Ferrante.
Patrick Ferrante, 81, said the armed robbery occurred on Sunday morning at a Wells Fargo ATM located at 13449 SW 288th St. in Southwest Miami-Dade.
“He had a knife when I got the money out,” said Ferrante. “Came out of nowhere. First, he struck me here, and here, and then he knocked me down.”
Ferrante said the cowardly knife-holding man sneaked up from behind and didn’t say a word.
“Nooo! He just took it and ran,” he said. “I was shocked.”
The crime occurred in broad daylight as Ferrante put his card in the ATM.
“The minute I got the money out, ping, and he nailed me,” said Ferrante.
The Vietnam veteran said the moment he withdrew $1000 from the machine, the subject robbed it from his hands.
Ferrante expected to use the money to make a down payment for a new vehicle to replace another one that no longer works, but a thief blindsided him.
“And I’m an old man. By the time I got up, he’s already gone,” said Ferrante. “He got all my money. I was upset.”
The 81-year-old man said the robbery stings and that the robber was unrecognizable.
“All covered up with a hood and mask,” he said.
He said his finances were already tight and this doesn’t help his situation.
“I gotta make it. I’m a Vietnam veteran. I went through a lot in the war,” said Ferrante.
By living off money from the Veterans’ Affairs office, as he is retired, money can only be stretched so much.
“I gotta get food for my girls. Dog food. I worry more about them than me. I love both of them very much,” said Ferrante.
The elderly man lives with his dogs, Canella and Lucky, and they are now living with a major setback that he never saw coming.
“But, you know, this is how it goes sometimes,” said Ferrante.
A GoFundMe has been created to support Ferrante. If you would like to donate, click here.
If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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