tv Caught on Camera MSNBC February 26, 2012 3:00pm-4:00pm PST
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parents who will stop at nothing to save their baby. and it's caught on a surveillance camera. >> you are taking my child, you're going to die. >> a brazen jewelry heist. thwarted by an even more brazen granny. >> i know how to smack your hand if it's in the wrong place. >> a stick-up and, yeah, that's an actual stick. >> i was like, oh, my god. you're kidding me. >> thieves and thugs caught in the act. >> it's bullying in america at its worst. it's caught on video. >> sometimes stopped in their tracks by everyday people. >> i didn't care if he had a gun. >> the crimes are cruel. >> i'm angry at what they did to me. >> the criminals calculating. >> you definitely want to do this? >> i'm positive, like 5,000% sure.
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>> and cold blooded. >> she says we'll stab the bitch, kill her. "caught on camera: crimes and crime stoppers." hello. i'm contessa brewer. welcome to "caught on camera." you see a crime unfolding before your very eyes. the law breakers are armed, so what do you do? run for help? call 911? or would you try to stop the bad guys yourself? it's one thing to get involved if you are young and able. but in the story you are about to see, one of the unlikeliest of people says not on my watch. northampton, england. it's a bold and brash robbery in broad daylight as three sledgehammer-wielding thugs wail away at this jewelry store front. and three getaway drivers on mopeds rev their engines. it appears no one can stop these
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helmeted hooligans from their brazen afternoon heist. that is no one except for super granny. >> i'm exceedingly feisty. i know how to smack your hand if it's in the wrong place. >> reporter: her name is ann timson. and cloaked in red, flying down the street with the greatest of ease, the 71-year-old british granny vigilante decides to take justice into her own hands. beating the armed bandits with the only weapon she has, her handbag. >> it was just instinct. and i'm just swinging my bag to the left and to the right. i was angry. i was angry that they dared to do it in daylight like that. >> she misses with her first few swings but then as the would-be thieves try to get away, one of
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the scooters topples over. so i was able to whack him a number of times. i realized then he had a hammer in his hand and he dropped it. i think he realized it was all over. >> and not a moment too soon for ann's 71-year-old arthritic legs. bystanders pounce on the robbers, holding them until police arrive. now that she's had a moment to think about what she just did, reality starts to set in. >> mad. absolutely mad. >> ann was never scared but does worry what one person will think about her actions. >> i have to tell you, my first thought was, oh, my god. what is my son going to say. i could have been hurt. i could have been killed. >> so why did ann decide to put herself in harm's way in the first place? well, turns out it wasn't to stop a robbery.
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it's her maternal instinct and the thought of her son that mistakenly makes her jump into the fray in the first place. >> i thought i saw one kid running to the shop doorway which was the jewelers and, three boys chasing him and giving him a beating. i could see their arms going. i thought he was getting a beating. >> ann doesn't know it yet, but the boy isn't a victim in this incident at all. he's one of the robbers. >> so i don't know about running, but i ambled up the street shouting stop it, stop it, because that had been my kid, i wasn't going to let him take a beating from three. that's how i felt about it. >> then as ann approaches the men, furiously swinging sledgehammers she quickly realizes the situation isn't what she thinks. that she just ran herself right into the middle of a daytime robbery. and that's when her anger takes over. but when ann gets a better look
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at the man who threatened her only moments earlier, instantly, her anger subsides. >> the one boy i saw, and he was a boy, the 18-year-old, i think he was, he looked terrified. it's silly. i felt sorry for him. this is the one who picked up his hammer to me, but i felt sorry for him because he looked terrified. >> but timson takes her pity only so far. she still feels the would-be robbers should be punished. five of the six men are caught. all pleading guilty to conspiracy to burglary. two are sentenced to six years, eight months. one gets five years and two of the would-be burglars are given four-year sentences. one man is still at large along with nearly $200,000 in rolex and cartier watches. but the granny vigilante has a different brand of justice in mind when she thinks about the robbers doing jailtime.
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>> the one thought i had that put a smile on my face was, what sort of stick are these guys going to get in the prison when an old lady beat them up. i found that quite funny. naughty boys. june 6th, 2011, from cartiers to chainsaws, it's another daring robbery. this time, the thief isn't after glitzy jewelry. but when someone tries to steal a pair of expensive chainsaws, this man acts fast. >> i was obviously bigger than him, but it was adrenaline. i could have probably picked his truck up, but when the gun came out, everything changed for me. >> adrian anderson has owned siskun power equipment with his sister and brother-in-law for 30 years. they carry high-end machines from saws to lawn mowers and have seen their share of robberies. but on this day theft isn't what he's thinking about. >> it was like 4:00 in the
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afternoon and pretty busy day for us. i could see this fellow off the corner of my eye looking at saws. next thing i notice he's moving rather rapidly for the door with a saw in each hand. >> the saws go for $1,000 each and for a family owned business, that's a big deal. >> being a store owner, it's not like you can stand there and watch your dollars, your profit goes out the door. >> hey! >> so acting on impulse, adrian decides to go after the crook caught on the store's surveillance cameras. >> caught up with him out in the parking lot as he was putting the saws in the back of his pickup. so as he turned around from setting them in the back of the truck, i grabbed and put my arm around his head and just pushed him right down to the pavement. >> adrian's brother-in-law and co-owner is in the store watching the incident play out. >> i looked out. adrian had him pinned up against the truck and in the meantime, i was talking to 911 while the scuffling and that was going on. >> 911, what's the emergency?
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>> yes, we have somebody that stole some saws from siskun power equipment. police are on the way. adrian thinks he has control of the situation. when one of his employees yells that the man is reaching for a gun, the tide quickly turns. >> i kind of stayed on my hands and knees there. he stood up and cocked the gun, pointed it at me and got back in the pickup and drove off. >> adrian is frustrated the man gets away with the saws. but because he was grappling on the ground, he wasn't able to see a key moment in the incident. watch again. this time paying attention to the right side of the screen. as you can see, when the thief pulls the gun, another man gets out of the truck with his hands up. apparently trying to remove himself from the situation. the truck pulls away without that other man in it. police arrive within minutes and interview him. >> he was white as i was, i guess, and shaken. the police came and everything.
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they started filling me in and they were getting more information from him. and he was very helpful, i guess in apprehending this guy. >> the suspect is arrested that same day and charged with robbery. he hasn't entered a plea and is currently being held on $20,000 bail. and the chainsaws? they are returned to the store a couple days later. as for adrian, his shop is still full of customers right after he had that loaded gun pointed at him. so he, along with his sister and brother-in-law, shrug it off and get back to work. >> but when they close up shop for the night and finally have a few minutes to themselves, the three co-owners decide to watch the video and reality sets in. >> the video filled in some of the pieces for me afterwards. kind of makes you think twice. anybody coming in here could be the next guy. >> i could only watch the video maybe three times and i just had to stop.
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because the thought of this going through my mind, my brother. my brother-in-law. the world changes. you have a whole different outlook on life. i'm glad it's all over. coming up -- >> there's not enough time to think. you can't. >> horror and heroism from a desperate mother. >> i took my elbow and bashed out my side window as hard as i could. >> and -- >> he was saying, bitch, give me your purse. give me everything. >> it started as a robbery but quickly turned into a fight for her life when "caught on camera: crimes and crime stoppers" continues. [ man ] predicting the future is hard. but i have this new smartphone. and now i can see everything more clearly. ♪ i can organize the analysis. sort through all the data. maybe even rattle some cages. i predict that i'm going to like the future. because the future is where
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>> and now, caught on surveillance camera, melanie richmond is being dragged through a gas station's parking lot. the stakes are high and she's putting her life on the line. >> you don't hear anything. you don't see anything. you just live it. >> it isn't the car she cares about. it's what's in the car that has her clutching to the passenger side door with every ounce of strength she has. >> there's not enough time to think. you can't. the only thing was you just lost your daughter. >> melanie's 6-month-old daughter samantha is in the back seat. and reacting with a mother's instinct, melanie is doing her best to get her baby back until she loses her grip. melanie hits her head and gets knocked unconscious in the parking lot. all hope seems lost. this certainly isn't the day melanie imagines when she wakes
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up earlier that morning. melanie and her husband aaron are moving from colorado to missouri with the helping hand of their families who are driving their two moving trucks and tending to their two older children. >> we are in the middle of the whole move. left our life in colorado and was trying to get to our new destination for our new life. >> it's nearly midnight. they've been driving for 12 hours straight. and with only three hours to go, they are exhausted. they decide to take a break. >> we see this gas station right off the highway and we pull in and both the moving trucks parked to get gas. and we park on the side of the convenience store. >> aaron takes baby samantha to the bathroom to change her diaper. >> then we come back out and trucks are just getting done getting pumped. we are putting sam in the car and i'm on the back of the car like jumping up and down trying to get her excited because she was all sorts of exhausted from the trip. >> aaron's antics are caught on the gas station security camera.
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it's cold outside. about 30 degrees. so mom and dad decide to keep the car running with the heat on to keep their baby warm. >> and we're standing right there. took a couple of steps away. couldn't hear what my mom was saying so we didn't want to walk away from the car. and that's when it happens. melanie and aaron step out of the camera's view just feet away from the car. and as you can see, an unidentified person steps into view. it takes only nine seconds from the time melanie and aaron step away from the car until the unidentified person is opening their car door. and five more seconds before he pulls away with little 6-month-old samantha in the back seat. >> my mom yelled, that guy is trying to steal your car. your child is in it. >> so melanie acts as fast as she can. she takes only one step and then
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launches her body at her passenger side window as the car backs up toward her. >> well, once i realized somebody was taking my car and my baby was inside of it, it is human instinct. you do what you got to do. there's no planning. there's no thinking. you are taking my child. you're going to die. or get hurt in the long run. i took my elbow and bashed out my side window as hard as i could. >> as soon as she broke the glass with her elbow, i immediately jumped into the passenger side of the car. >> as the car speeds away with aaron now in the front seat, that's when melanie loses her grip. getting knocked unconscious. in the car, aaron is upside down. but turns out he's in a good position to use his feet. i didn't care if he had a gun. i wasn't caring about what kind of harm was going to come to me. i'm twisting my body so i'm
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laying on the foot of the passenger's seat and just start kicking the crap out of him out of the right side of his face, screaming and yelling. my baby is in the car. >> aaron knows he's fighting for his daughter's life and suddenly, as quickly as it started, it's over. the thief jumps out as the car rolls up slowly on to an embankment. >> i jumped into that driver's seat and immediately put it in park and then got out the driver's seat and, you know, lifted the seat back just to see if sam was okay. and she was screaming her head off. >> screaming her head off but okay. at the same time, about 100 yards away, melanie is coming to. >> and i didn't know where i was for a second. i didn't know anything until i just looked up. and saw him talking to my brother and that was my chance to run after him and get my revenge. >> but the criminal takes off, outrunning melanie. looking back, melanie says she doesn't completely understand where she got the strength to bash in the window of the car so easily. >> the cops said they can take
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their batons and hit a window five times and it doesn't shatter and it took my elbow once. some might say it was the adrenaline. but melanie thinks it might have been more than that. >> it's the lioness protecting its young. you just don't mess with it. well, there's supernatural powers that moms can get, i guess is what people like to call it. >> melanie and aaron want the man to be caught and pay for his crime. but they are very glad to have their baby girl safe in their new home. and they all have a new lease on life. >> i guess our life lesson of our family is, you can lose somebody just as fast as they are given to you. that's what it comes down to. coming up -- a woman is told her husband has just been murdered. >> i didn't do anything, and i didn't plot anything. >> but is she a grieving wife or a cold-blooded criminal? and --
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>> it's bullying in america at its worst. it's caught on video. >> a teen is attacked. will anyone stop it? >> when they were putting me in the tree, i saw like three people walking by. >> when caught on camera: crimes and crime stoppers" continues. s been here since the early 50s. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪
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i'm sorry to tell you, ma'am, he's been killed. >> a woman sobs uncontrollably. she's just been told by this police sergeant that her husband has been murdered. but the dramatic scene isn't what it appears to be. for starters, the woman's husband, michael dippolito, isn't really dead. in fact, this is michael doing an interview with a local news crew later that same morning. >> technically, if it's 10:50, i should have been dead at like 9:00. >> so why on earth would police be telling this woman her husband is dead. it's all part of an elaborate sting set up and recorded by the boynton beach, florida, police department to catch a criminal.
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that's michael's wife dalia dippolito on camera a few days earlier. >> i was going to get $3,000 from you today and $3,000 when it's all done. she thinks the man she's talking to is a hit man. >> what she doesn't know is that the man isn't actually a hit man. he's an undercover police officer. and he has a camera in his back seat. documenting everything she is saying. >> i'm positive, like 5,000% sure. >> police set up this sting after they get a tip from an acquaintance of dalia's, a man she asked to help her find a hit man. >> it is just sad for somebody to go this route. there's no point for it. just divorce me and take everything. that's the best way, right? so i don't understand. >> on the morning dalia thinks her husband is supposed to be killed, she heads to the gym where she gets a phone call from police telling her to come back home.
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and when she gets there, she finds the police waiting for her. then still believing her husband is dead, dalia is taken into an interrogation room at the police station again with cameras rolling. >> the game is over with, okay? there's no more games with you and i. now we're going to get down to serious business. i want to know if you know this guy. >> the police are holding back their cards but already know the answers to their own questions. >> do you know who this guy is? >> no. >> you've never seen him before? >> i've never seen him before, ever. >> that man is the undercover cop who posed as the hit man. but dalia continues her charade. finally, police decide it's time to let her in on their secret. that's an undercover police officer. we filmed everything that you did. recorded everything that you did. you are going to jail for solicitation of first-degree murder on your husband. >> i didn't do anything. >> did you hear what i just told you.
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>> i heard what you said. >> listen to me. everything has been recorded. you were photographed in the convertible when you sat in his car in the front of cvs. what are you going to do? dalia is surprised but still sticking to her story. even when she sees her husband in the hallway who by now has been shown the hidden camera footage of his wife ordering the hit on him. >> come here, please. come here. mike come here. come here, please. come here. >> you can't fix this. >> why not? i didn't do anything. >> mike come here, please. >> she was just trying to like, let me talk to you. let me talk to you. and the reality is, what more is there to say? i heard you on tape? i saw you on the video. she's 5,000% sure she wants me killed. they repeated it to her three times to make sure. she handed the money over. like, you know, and it is crystal clear so, i mean, i saw it. you can't back out of that one.
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>> when the case goes to trial, it's the same story. dalia deny anything wrongdoing. her lawyer claiming the whole scene was cooked up, by, of all people, michael as part of a reality tv hoax gone wrong. >> mike dippolito's hoax to orchestrate his own murder, to achieve fame and fortune was a bad prank. and it was no different than what balloon boy's parents did. >> the defense presents its theory, but the prosecutor tells the jury for the real story, all you have to do is watch the video. >> the defendant was caught in the act of being herself. she wasn't acting. that's who she is. she's like poison candy. attractive on the outside but deadly on the inside. >> we the jury find as follows. >> the trial lasts two weeks and the jury needs only three hours. >> we find the defendant guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
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>> at sentencing, the judge calls dalia pure evil. >> i am positive, like 5,000% sure. >> and gives her 20 years in prison. outside the courtroom, michael dippolito reacts borrowing the now infamous line from dalia. >> wish you were never here. as far as the sentence, i'm 5,000% happy from it. coming up -- >> i am angry at what they did to me. >> teen bullying. >> will not tolerate bullying in any way, shape or firm. >> this cop wants the bullies to know he's coming for them. and, a robber branches out using a different type of weapon when "caught on camera: crimes and crime stoppers" continues. the employee of the month isss... the new spark card from capital one. spark miles gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day.
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60 passengers may be trapped. it was going eastbound carrying 75 passengers and four crew when the crash happened. no word yet on what caused it. for the first time in its history, the daytona 500 has been delayed a day due to rain. half an inch has fallen already with more thunderstorms on the way. it is postponed until monday noon eastern. now back to "caught on camera." welcome back to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. the crimes are cruel, and the impact on the victims can be tragic. bullying has become a national issue. according to a government study, 1 in 3 teens reports being bullied. and the scariest thing about that number, the department of justice considers it possibly the most underreported safety problem in american schools. but when it's caught on camera, it forces us to pay attention. january 11th, 2011, upper darby
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pennsylvania. 13-year-old nadine corey is surrounded, then viciously beaten by a group of teenage thugs. one teen records the incident on his cell phone as six attackers brutally punch, kick and drag nadine, laughing while they do it. >> it's bullying in america at its worst. it's caught on video. >> the incident enrages police superintendent michael chitwood so much that he releases the video to the press. >> it's unconscionable. we're not going to tolerate it. nadine is hoisted into a tree, and then hung on a fence. >> we got to send a message to these kids, these thugs. they could have killed that kid. impaling him by the neck. >> the heinous beatdown lasts more than 20 minutes. at times, nadine pleading for help. >> i find it offensive when not one person called 911.
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not one person called 911. this kid was screaming for help. >> this isn't the first time these bullies have picked on nadine corey. it all starts earlier that school year in september 2010. nadine says he's one of the smallest kids in his class, making him a target. >> they used to say, oh, your mom african. she's dirty. i was with your mom last night. they used to say all kind of stupid things. over the next few months, he says a few classmates continue to tease him, even punching him occasionally when the teacher isn't watching. then on january 11th, nadine is walking home from school with a friend. they notice some of the same kids who bully nadine in class, along with a few older teenagers heading straight for him. >> we knew they were coming to mess with us. we started running the other direction. a few of them came running after us. the group isn't after nadine's friend. he gets away.
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but nadine isn't as lucky. >> i was in shock when they were actually doing it. i was scared because i didn't know where it was going to end. i didn't know what they were going to do. >> one of the attackers records with his cell phone as six others take turns wailing on him, using his body as a punching bag. here one of the teens drags him through the snow like a rag doll. >> he grabbed my right knee and was yanking it. kept on yanking. my knee still hurts to this day. >> nadine doesn't fight back because he knows if he does, it will only get worse for him. he thinks his only hope is help from a stranger. >> when they were putting me in the tree, i saw like three people walking by. i was trying to call them so they could help me. they all walked by like it was normal kids playing. >> finally when the assailants hang nadine on a fence, a woman
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who passed by earlier sees it and realizes this isn't just kids playing. >> she put me in her back seat of her car. she was like, don't worry about it. the cops are going to catch them. and prompted by a 911 call from nadine's mother, the cops do launch an investigation. when they turn up the video, identifying their suspects superintendent michael chitwood decides to teach a lesson. >> we took out the six individuals in handcuffs, put them in wagons, made sure everybody knew we're not tolerating bullying at any way, shape or form. >> but when it comes to sentencing, all of the teens manage to avoid jailtime. five are sentenced to a curfew, community service and 45 days home monitoring. one agrees to juvenile drug treatment.
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and the boy who recorded the incident on his cell phone is cleared of all charges. police superintendent michael chitwood thinks penalties need to be harsher and hopes with his actions, he is sending a clear message. >> the way we are winning at high school, they know if anybody intimidates or threatens or put anybody in fear, they're going to take a hike in handcuffs and in a wagon. >> the media picks up the story and within days, it's national news. >> a group of teenagers arrested for tormenting another teen. police say the suspects videotaped the entire incident. >> nadine and his entire family appear on abc's "the view" and they have a real surprise in store for him. >> i hear them say we have surprises for you. here's pro bowl wide receiver deshean jackson. i started crying. i never knew something bad could come out to something this good. >> you're my favorite player. >> i was pretty happy. >> seattle, washington. january 28th, 2010.
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it's another case of teen bullying. this time an attack in a metro bus terminal. the assailant blindsides the victim, pushing her into the bus lanes as she windmills her fists with fury. the brawl spills back on to the platform where the attacker pounces on top of the victim and pounds her face more than ten times. then she gets up and delivers six vicious kicks to the head. and just when it looks like it's over, the attacker comes back for one last stomp right on the victim's face. nobody, including the three security guards seen in the video, comes to her aid. aisha steward baker is the 15-year-old attacked in the video. >> i am angry at what they did to me and the security guards could have prevented it.
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it could have been a situation that didn't have to happen. >> a group of ten teenagers made fun of and threatened her earlier in the day. then they hunted her down in this terminal. first, the boy in the hat appears to be the lookout. then the attacker enters the picture. aisha spots the trouble and stands right in the middle of the security guards. but they do nothing to stop the attack once it starts. and shockingly, that's exactly what they are instructed to do. the guards are employees from a private security company, not trained police officers. and their contract with metro transit specifies they are supposed to observe and report, not get involved. so while aisha lays on the ground getting punched and kicked, the security guards stand by like spectators calling in the incident on their radios just as they are supposed to do. after the incident, the video is released by metro transit and general manager kevin desmond hears the public outcry.
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>> you look at what's happening to the victim and you say something's got to be changed. that's just not going to be acceptable. we've had that observe and report for years in our contract. and this incident clearly shows that we need to change that. >> and changes are made. the controversial observe and report policy is eliminated. a new security firm is hired. and according to metro transit, the guards are better trained to handle situations like this one. as for the kids involved in aisha's attack, six are arrested. the main aggressor who, like aisha is 15 years old at the time of the attack, pleads guilty to assault and is sentenced to up to nine months in juvenile detention. two more teens younger than 18 plead guilty to fourth degree assault and are sentenced to 30 days detention. and three men, all adults over the age of 18, plead guilty to theft, admitting to stealing aisha's belongings, including
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her cell phone and ipod. two are sentenced to six months in work release and the third gets time served. coming up -- >> he was saying, bitch, give me your purse. give me everything. >> a robbery isn't going the way the thief planned it. >> and that's when he takes out the knife. and it's an unusual standoff. >> jumped from the counter to come inside, and i jumped from the counter to go outside. >> when "caught on camera: crimes and crime stoppers" continues. we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion.
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[ woman ] ask me why i'm glad i didn't wait till i'm too old to enjoy this. [ male announcer ] start asking real owners. treat yourself to the ultimate sleep experience and save up to $200 during the tempur ergo savings event. plus visit tempurpedic.com for full details on our five day, five year special financing offer. don't wait. the tempur ergo savings event and five year special financing ends february 26th. tempur-pedic. the most highly recomended bed in america. a woman is dragged, kicking and screaming nearly 50 feet
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across a parking lot. as a male and female team tries to rob her. march 29th, 2011, dallas, texas. >> when he first approaches me, he was saying, bitch, give me your purse. give me everything. >> but the victim, adriana gets angry and resists. the scene caught on the parking lot surveillance cameras. >> when he saw that i wasn't giving him my things, he tells the girl, this bitch isn't giving it to me. and she instructs him to kill me. she says, well, stab the bitch, kill her. and that's when he takes out the knife. >> adriana is forced to choose. continue to fight or play it safe and give the robbers what they want. for adriana, the decision isn't as simple as you might think. only moments earlier, adriana is arriving at her second job as a bartender. stressed and exhausted. >> i had actually lost my job
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three weeks ago so i had to start working three jobs. and i have a brand new car. and i have this apartment which i'm living by myself. i was going to get evicted if i didn't pay within the next two, three days. >> when the man approaches her, threatening to take the money she needs to pay the bills it flips a switch in her head. >> i told myself, don't let him take your money. this is not fair. you earned this. you are giving up everything because of this. and they are taking it away from you. >> after adriana refuses to give the man her purse, she pushes her into the back seat of her car and the two struggle. >> the thing that was just running over and over in my mind is somebody is going to come. just -- it's a bar, for heaven's sakes. somebody will come. >> adriana says the male robber threatens to rape and kill her. but strangely, it's not the man attacking her adriana fears. >> i honestly did not feel he was going to go through with it. on the other hand, the woman, i was completely scared and terrified about her. i don't know why, but i was.
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>> the woman approaches the car with a tire jack in her right hand. and when she gets to the car, she coldly tells the man to kill adriana. >> so he pulls out the knife and i kick him. and after that, during the tussle, the knife falls on the floor. i was dragged 50 feet. while adriana grapples with the man, the female robber is rummaging through the car stealing adriana's laptop computer and anything else she can find. then a maroon getaway car speeds up as the man wrestles the purse away from adriana. finally, she realizes it's over. >> i run to my bar and i tell the owner i just got robbed. i start crying. i start bawling. that's when the initial shock was over.
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>> the security camera footage is released to the local news stations to help police identify the suspects. and it works. a tip called into a crime hot line leads them to the man in the video, identified as javier duenas. he is found and arrested. he is charged with aggravated robbery and held on $250,000 bond. another suspect, jonathan fuentes, accuse of being the getaway driver is also caught and charged with aggravated. robbery. thelma is the woman who struck such fear into adrian pap she manages to evade police for a few weeks but is eventually arrested and charged with aggravated robbery. the three have yet to enter a plea. adriana doesn't get any of her belongings back, but now she knows she still has the most important thing, her life. and she says the episode has forever changed her. >> it changed the way i view things. it's changed my life. i think that i've become a more
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fearful person, a precautious person. more aware person. i mean, there's good and bad, but it's unfortunate that it had to happen this way. >> police always say if someone tries to rob you, don't resist. with time to think about what happened, adriana says if she had to do it again, she would have reacted differently. >> i would not put up a fight. it's not worth it. even if i had a million dollars with me, it's not worth my life. it's not worth giving my family that kind of pain and grief. it's not. coming up -- >> i thought first that one minute he was joking with me, some customer. >> a bizarre robbery gets deadly serious. >> i was scared when i fell down, he drew a knife. >> and nearly 30 robbers stream through the doors of this convenience store. can anyone stop them when "caught on camera: crimes and crime stoppers" continues. ♪ we were skipping stones and letting go ♪
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convenience stores are frequently the target of robberies. some are violent. some are brazen. then there are those that are just plain odd. but we're going to go out on a limb here and say this is one of the oddest attempted convenience store robberies we've ever encountered. and, yes, we'll go even further and say it's a stick-up. it's 6:30 a.m., december 28th, 2010. jugal uptall is just opening the shop he and his son own outside washington, d.c., when a man walks in with a huge tree branch. surprisingly, jugal doesn't immediately sense any danger.
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>> i thought first that one minute he was joking with me, some customer. when he tried to hit me, then i saw something wrong. >> the intruder swats the stick at jugal's head. so he goes for his own weapon, a hammer. now it's a standoff, hammer versus 6 1/2-foot stick. >> he tried to hit me, and i tried to show the hammer. and he jump from the counter to come inside. and i jump over the counter to go outside. i try to save myself. >> this dangerous duel continues for a heart-stopping two minutes. jugal, not giving the thief the money and doing his best to stall him until help arrives. >> i was thinking that some customer will come. then i'll be free. >> but no sign of any customers on this morning.
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the robber backs jugal into a corner with his stick and finally breaks the stalemate when he jumps the counter. the two struggle and for a few seconds, jugal gets control of the stick. but then, as the men grapple on the ground, the shop owner feels a sharp pain in his arm. he's hurt. but that isn't his biggest concern at the moment. >> i was scared. when i fell down, he dropped the knife from the counter area. >> a knife? apparently the robber doesn't see it, but jugal says there was an eight-inch knife on the counter, normally used to cut bagels and meat which got knocked down to the ground in the melee and is a few feet from the struggling men. not wanting to escalate the violence, jugal gives up. >> i told him, i can give you whatever i have. i can open the register and take money and just go. the thief grabs a couple hundred dollars.
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then the sight jugal has been hoping to see. headlights in his parking lot. it's his first customer of the day. the robber is spooked and as quickly as he appeared, he's gone. out the back door of the convenience store. jugal leaves the store in a rush, forgetting his own cell phone which got knocked to the floor during the attack. so he borrows the customer's cell phone calling 911 first and then his son, co-owner of the store. >> he called me at 6:30 in the morning. he was pretty calm. i was like, is something wrong? yeah, somebody just came in and robbed me. >> he rushes to the store to find the place ransacked. he's asking his dad for details but he seems shaken and can't seem to tell very much about the robber. >> said the guy was wearing a -- couldn't see his face. didn't recognize his voice. but videotape never forgets. when they go to watch the store security camera with the police, he can't believe his eyes. >> i was like, you are kidding me? someone came in to rob you? >> as he watches the video he better understands why his dad is having trouble providing a good description of the intruder. >> he had a hoody -- black hoody on, gloves.
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he was pretty prepared to do something. >> turns out the bizarre tree branch attack ends up hurt morgue than jugal's bank account. remember, as they fell to the floor, jugal felt a sharp pain in his arm. well, at first, he refused to go to the doctor. but with his son's urging, a week after the robbery, he goes to the emergency room. the scuffle had caused two fractures. >> they put stitches here and put a blade inside to secure that. >> the robber hasn't been caught, but munish says that has never been his main concern. he's just thankful it wasn't worse. >> it was hard because you never know. something could have happened. i could be without a father anymore. april 30th, 2011, las vegas, nevada. it's another convenience store
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robbery. this time, the thieves come in unarmed, but there are a shocking number of crooks to overwhelm the clerk. >> it's called a mob rob. nearly 30 people storm the store taking about $600 worth of food, beer and other drinks. >> at first, i was really frightened and then i got angry. >> john athy owns the convenience store and has been in the business for nearly 40 years. >> and here's the scout. they send a man in to check the store out. >> he's had his share of robberies, but this one, he says, is the worst he's seen because of the sheer number of people. >> where did they all come from? they had to have been at a function and decided to -- maybe they needed some more beer and
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when they got here they decided maybe they didn't want to pay for it. >> he's glad his night clerk doesn't try to stop the swarm of clerks because he fears even employee resists, someone will get hurt. instead he wants to rely on his 12 surveillance cameras both to help capture crooks and deter future crimes from happening. >> the reason i released the video is because i don't want this to become a habit. i want these robbers to know that they are going to get caught. they're all videotaped. we have their cars. we have some license plates. and they will be caught. they will be prosecuted. >> and several of the thieves are caught. four suspects are arrested and charged with burglary and conspiracy to burglary. two more warrants have been issued. and vegas metro police are working hard to identify the rest of the mob. nationwide, a crime happens on average every three seconds, according to census data. so more than 1200 crimes may have been committed in the u.s. while you were watching this program. we've shown you a handful of brave crime stoppers who were assisted by a silent witness, the camera as crime fighter. i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera."
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