DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida woman was targeted for her wallet while sitting outside a Davie restaurant and the bold crime was caught on camera.
Surveillance cameras from the Giardino Gourmet Salads restaurant captured the robber as he stalked out Penny Scheffing before snatching her wallet in broad daylight, last Thursday.
“Evidently, from the tape, he was watching,” Scheffing said.
The subject could be seen in dark clothing and on the phone. He then grabs a seat at a table outside Giardino Gourmet Salads, not far from where Scheffing and her daughter were having lunch.
“I was taking her shopping; she’s starting a new job on Monday, and we went for lunch first,” Scheffing said.
Scheffing said she had her wallet in her hand when the subject snatched it. “The next thing I know, somebody reached around me, and he just took it right out of my hand,” she said. “My daughter thought I knew him because I looked at him, and he was hugging me, so I didn’t. The minute I realized, I screamed.”
Video showed the man sprinting away and Scheffing running after him.
The victim said bystanders also ran after him in an effort to help, but he ended up getting away.
“What I heard was a scream outside of the door,” said Gabriel Exposito, the owner of the restaurant. “I ran out and immediately called 911. The police took it from there.”
Scheffing later saw the still shots of the robber holding her wallet.
“It makes me sick to see that,” Scheffing said, “and he’s smiling.”
The wallet contained money, a gift card Scheffing saved for her daughter, among other things.
“You know, it makes me angry, but the worst thing, it makes me feel how somebody could live with themselves with this,” she said. “Karma is a very intense thing.”
The victim said this robbery has ruined her sense of security.
“Definitely the last thing we want our customers to experience ever, really,” said Exposito. “I hope they find him.”
If you have any information on the subject, 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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