Shocking footage shows the moment a Los Angeles shop owner was brutally beaten and then whipped with a gun by armed robbers who made off with cash and jewellery.
Surveillance footage from KloudPusherz in downtown Los Angeles shows two hooded robbers entering the clothing store around 4:49 p.m. Wednesday, armed with a semi-automatic handgun.
The pair could be seen whipping, kicking, punching and dragging shop owner Franky Salerno across the floor before fleeing with his cash and jewelry.
It was the second time in as many days that Salerno had to deal with thieves, his girlfriend said KTLAnoting that he and his friend were actually waiting for the police to arrive so they could report a robbery the night before.
“Franky was assaulted on Wednesday, but he was there that day with his friend waiting for the police to arrive because his store was robbed the night before,” Ivana Octaviani said. “They took most of his goods.”
The pair could be seen whipping, kicking, punching and dragging store owner Franky Salerno across the floor before fleeing with his cash and jewelry.
Salerno is now in the intensive care unit after being attacked inside his store. He suffers from skull, eye socket, nose and hand fractures.
Octaviani said Salerno tried to fight back, but was no match for the two men, who took her gold necklace, a Rolex watch and other jewelry.
They could be seen in surveillance footage wrestling Salerno to the ground and dragging him across the floor as he tried to fight back.
They then pistol-whipped, punched and kicked him repeatedly to make sure he wouldn’t get up.
When his friend, who has not been named, tried to intervene, the armed robbers then set off after him.
Salerno is now in the intensive care unit, suffering from fractures to his skull, eye socket, nose and hand, she said in a GoFundMe for his medical expenses.
Meanwhile, the two suspects fled and are still at large.
They are both described as black men, one of whom wore a black mask, a black hoodie with an “X” on the back, and black pants.
The second suspect was wearing a blue and white striped hoodie with blue jeans.
The armed robbery took place less than a week after video posted online showed a man having his shirt ripped off as he tried to get out of the center of the fight at The Grove shopping centre.
He was then chased by four others who tackled him to the ground before dealing him a deluge of punches and kicks.
A woman watching the scene unfold can be heard saying, “Oh my god. Where is the police ? Where is the security?’
Just before the short video ends, what appears to be two security guards appear at the scene in an attempt to break up the fight.
Octaviani says she is now fed up with crime in Los Angeles, telling KTLA that her friends in Indonesia are shocked by the relentless crime.
“All my friends in Indonesia, they’re like, ‘What’s going on there?'” she said.
‘Is this what we have become?’ she asked. ‘LA was a big city. California was once a great state, but look at it now. What happened?’
She went on to say that she had recently moved to Arizona to escape the crime-ridden city and was hoping her boyfriend would join her.
Video of the scuffle was shared on the Citizen platform and shows a man having his shirt ripped off as he is attacked
Several celebrities have also announced plans to escape from California, including former Happy Days star Scott Baio, who announced he had put his $3.85 million Woodland Hills home on the market.
On Twitter, the conservative-leaning sitcom star said he no longer felt safe in the Golden State given the various issues under Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“After 45 years, I’m making my way to finally ‘stepping off the stage’ in California,” he wrote.
He then cited state statistics on homelessness, noting that “it drives down property values.” Plus, no consequences for the crime going on, which makes things more expensive and it’s just not a safe place anymore.
The Joanie Loves Chachi star added the hashtag “#ImFree”.
Scott Baio announced he was fleeing California as he put his $3.85million home on the market, citing the state’s dire homelessness and crime problems
Recent figures released by the LAPD show that there were more than 2,100 violent crime incidents in the last month alone in the city.
Of that figure, 1,415 were related to aggravated assault, 629 were recorded as robberies, with 80 incidents of rape and 23 homicides also recorded.
Last month, the total number of violent incidents increased by 6 incidents recorded compared to the previous month, with an increase in assaults, rapes and robberies.
The number of arrests in the city has also increased since the previous month, from 4,501 in March to 5,497 in April.
