Attackers Followed Couple for Two Hours to Rob Them
Below is part of the news coverage on this attack. The video of the actual attack starts at :35.
Courtesy of Fox13 News
A Tampa area couple saw a thrilling night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino turned into a nightmare after they were ambushed and shot after winning a $3,000 jackpot.
The terrifying ordeal, captured on the couple's Ring doorbell camera, serves as a grim reminder for us of the dangers that can lurk even after a lucky night out.
The Attack
On August 2, Kim Chambliss and her boyfriend, Val Delacruz, were followed home after their night at the casino by two men, Marcus Jenkins, 34, and Tristin Wright, 36. As the couple pulled into their driveway, the attackers struck. The masked men surrounded the couple’s vehicle. One published source says the bad guys demanded money at gunpoint. A different -- unofficial source -- claims the criminals opened fire on the couple without any demands first. [Which might explain why both victims had gunshot wounds to the legs rather than more critical areas of the body.]
Chambliss was hit in the calf and Delacruz suffering gunshot wounds to his right thigh and left knee.
The Ring doorbell camera only recorded the part of the incident that ended up on the front porch. It does not (at least from this published portion) appear to show the robbery unfold in the driveway.
One of the suspects was caught on camera attempting to cover the doorbell with his hand, while a voice, believed to belong to the other suspect, demanded that Delacruz remove his watch. The video has since been circulated on social media, shocking viewers with its raw display of violence.
News reports claim that Delacruz was pleading with the gunmen as they towered over him. Despite his desperate pleas, one of the attackers shot him again, this time in the left leg. A neighbor's sudden appearance prompted the gunmen to flee the scene, taking with them Delacruz’s watch and Chambliss’s purse.
Chambliss recounted the horror, saying, "I hear another gunshot and my first thought was 'they've killed him.' I was hysterical, I screamed and cried."
The Investigation
Hillsborough County deputies quickly launched an investigation into the attack. Security footage from the casino revealed Jenkins using his mobile phone while trailing the couple toward the parking lot. The footage also showed Jenkins getting into a Hyundai Sonata, which then followed the couple to their home in Riverview.
Court documents revealed that an unidentified person was driving the vehicle during the pursuit. After the investigation, officers arrested Jenkins and Wright, with the surveillance footage from the casino playing a crucial role in their capture.
A Cautionary Tale
This violent incident highlights the risks that can follow a public display of winnings, even in a setting as controlled as a casino. The footage from the couple's Ring camera not only helped capture the attackers but also serves as a powerful reminder of the vulnerability we face in our everyday lives.
And...remember we are facing a serious, serious situation. Robbery is always associated with use of force, or the threat of force to take something from us. Here's how it's defined in the Florida State Statutes:
812.13Robbery.—
(1)“Robbery” means the taking of money or other property which may be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another, with intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person or the owner of the money or other property, when in the course of the taking there is the use of force, violence, assault, or putting in fear.
What Should We Do?
First, realize there is a surge of violent crime sweeping North America and Europe with some U.S. states having a higher crime rate than others.
Criminals look to exploit opportunities and our vulnerabilities.
Who is watching me? Or conversely, who is working hard to appear that they are not watching me?
Not surprisingly they are judging what we might have of value by:
Observing as we leave expensive restaurants, jewelry stores, high-end nightclubs.
Looking at how expensive our car is.
How we are dressed.
These observations add up to telling a story about the valuables we might have.
There is a spate of follow home robberies which is sometimes called "jugging".
In some of our work in the Los Angeles area, criminal gangs are well organized and use spotters and hand off following you to other gang members.
We must accept that there are people who want what others have. And these people will resort to violence to take our money, our possessions, and even our lives.
We can talk about “situational awareness” as much as we want, but when attackers intentionally conceal their designs, we are all susceptible to the surprise ambush.
Criminals control the time and the place of the attack.
We control our awareness, our fitness, our training, and our equipment.
That equipment can run from pepper spray to firearms.
We must train to defend against common attacks.
We also must accept that the police cannot protect us. We are responsible for our own safety. We always have been.
As our society continues to fracture along social, political, and cultural lines it’s becoming obvious that criminals are not dissuaded by the consequences that used to govern social behavior.
While Chambliss and Delacruz are expected to recover from their injuries, the emotional scars of that night will likely linger. Their story is a stark warning to others about the potential dangers that can follow a stroke of good fortune.
I never want to be put into the position of lying on my front porch -- helpless and unarmed -- while two criminals tower over me threatening to shoot me.
Train hard. Train like your life depends on it.
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