86-Year-Old Vet Injured during Carjacking at Detroit Gas Station

[Zacha341]

This is but one reason I avoid getting gas in the city. Elder carjacked, knocked down, crawling for help as others walking by looked on, did nothing. Ok, so it's like that? Duly noted...

86-Year-Old Vet Injured during Carjacking at Detroit Gas Station

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...on-20120224-ms

The unspeakable ordeal didn't end there. It was broad daylight, others were around, yet no one stopped to help the injured 86-year-old man, who crawled his way across the parking lot and into the store.

[Scottathew]

Can it possibly be true that no one helped? I've been very critical of the culture in Detroit, but I just don't see that part as being true.

[stasu1213]

What had happened to him is sad. I am outraged. I don't know if the passerbyers had thought that he was a homeless man or drunk. You have many people who sleep in the middle of the sidewalk, on benches, and in doorways. I wonder if he was calling out for help and these people walking by was just ignoring him. I would had asked him if he needed some help. I had asked the person laying in the middle of the sidewalk if he needed help only to be ignored. I had saw a man laying in the grass and flagged down a police car who was driving by. They had told me to just leave him alone for he sleeps on the grass all of the time. The council should put stiffer penalties on gas stations who allow vagrants to loiter around the stores. The council would rather pass stiffer ordinance prohibiting skate boarding and drivers who drive around with a crack windshield. The council should stop having the police to look out for crack windshields so they could look out for troublemakers loitering around gas stations.

[Scottathew]

Last month I was driving southbound on Dequindre approaching 12 Mile Road on the Madison Heights\Warren border.

I witnessed an elderly woman crossing the street at a slow pace. The vehicle two cars in front was about to hit her at 45 mph. At the very last moment the car break and veered, but still struck her leg.

The car continued on. Out of all the people that witnessed it, I was the only person that stopped to check on the welfare of the ~80 year old woman. She was crying and upset. The car has just clipped her foot and she claimed to be uninjured.

I'm mad at myself for not getting the license plate of the car, it all happened too quickly.


It's just too damn frustrating that people don't help people anymore.

[Packman41]

Can it possibly be true that no one helped? I've been very critical of the culture in Detroit, but I just don't see that part as being true.

Don't believe it? Then let's go to the video tape. Click on the link above or click here and watch the video: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/...d-by-passersby

When the video was shown on the late evening news it not only showed him crawling toward the station for help and being ignored it also showed that once he was inside the gas station people were walking over him to get inside and outside. Only after some pleading did he get someone to help him to his feet.

By the way, the car they jacked [[Chrysler 200) was stolen earlier and he only got it back 4 days ago. And people ask why car insurance is so high?

[firstandten]

That is frustrating. That incident happened just a few feet away from where the senior was beaten up in the parking lot of the party store that was caught on camera and made national headlines, a couple of years ago.Nobody helped him either.

You have people that are scared themselves to help. Some may feel they are being set up.When you live in the city you can't have your blinders on. According to the article he did get someone to help him, but yes its a shame

[stasu1213]

That is frustrating. That incident happened just a few feet away from where the senior was beaten up in the parking lot of the party store that was caught on camera and made national headlines, a couple of years ago.Nobody helped him either.

You have people that are scared themselves to help. Some may feel they are being set up.When you live in the city you can't have your blinders on. According to the article he did get someone to help him, but yes its a shame

It is frustrating seeing people walk by him and appear to not had done anything. There was a guy on his cell phone. Could he had been calling for help? We don't know. There were times that people had approahced my car at night while I was stopped at a light. I made sure my doors were locked and I had taken off. There are people who do lay on the sidewalks or crawling on the sidewalks and ignore help. Some of them are high or drunk. This is the element that is in the city. It makes it worse for someone who REALLY need help.I try not to stop at a gas station in the city. I don't care if it is daytime. I had challenged Charles Pugh when he had said that it is the community responsiblity to make sure that troublemakers are not hainging around the gas station. I told him that the community, including the gas station attendance, could only do so much without police assistance.

[Wheels]

As disgusting as this crime is it makes it even worse to me that it happened in broad daylight in an area adjacent to UofD campus that is not considered to be one of the high crime areas of Detroit.

[313WX]

Last month I was driving southbound on Dequindre approaching 12 Mile Road on the Madison Heights\Warren border.

I witnessed an elderly woman crossing the street at a slow pace. The vehicle two cars in front was about to hit her at 45 mph. At the very last moment the car break and veered, but still struck her leg.

The car continued on. Out of all the people that witnessed it, I was the only person that stopped to check on the welfare of the ~80 year old woman. She was crying and upset. The car has just clipped her foot and she claimed to be uninjured.

I'm mad at myself for not getting the license plate of the car, it all happened too quickly.


It's just too damn frustrating that people don't help people anymore.

Funny thing is you never heard that one on the suburban news.

The good people of "SE Michigan" would NEVER ignore an elderly person who has been the victim of an heinous crime, nor would the good people of "SE Michigan" EVER hit an elderly person just crossing the street.

I may just take that incident over to the Anti-Detroit/racist posters over at Fox 2 Suburban Detroit.

[Bham1982]

As disgusting as this crime is it makes it even worse to me that it happened in broad daylight in an area adjacent to UofD campus that is not considered to be one of the high crime areas of Detroit.

The gas station arguably sits in one of the best and safest locations in Detroit. On one side, you have the University District, and on the other, UofD and Martin Park neighborhood.

I don't think this is a uniquely Detroit story, but I think that it's much more likely to happen in an environment where folks are so overwhelmed by lawlessness and violence that they don't want to get involved in any capacity.

[Bham1982]

Funny thing is you never heard that one on the suburban news.

Maybe before claiming racism, take a look at the two incidents. You'll see they're totallly different [[not to mention that Warren has plenty of African Americans nowadays, and the University District has plenty of whites).

In one incident, there was a violent carjacking, and an 86-year-old veteran was crawling on the ground with a broken leg.

In the other incident, there was an auto accident, and an elderly woman refused assistance.

[bartock]

Funny thing is you never heard that one on the suburban news.

The good people of "SE Michigan" would NEVER ignore an elderly person who has been the victim of an heinous crime, nor would the good people of "SE Michigan" EVER hit an elderly person just crossing the street.

I may just take that incident over to the Anti-Detroit/racist posters over at Fox 2 Suburban Detroit.

Well also remind those posters that almost certainly there were plenty of white folks driving by that gas station at McNichols and Fairfield. Lots of white people live over there and certainly commute over there. I don't think race has anything to do with the fear and apathy epidemic of these days.

[EASTSIDE CAT 67-83]

Gotta love livin in the D - guess they shoulda said the perps had AK-47s and hand grenades and left a pile of bodies -might of had a better police response. Poor guy had to crawl by all those concerned citzens with a broken leg, it was nice of the one good samaritan to at least open the door for him. The city sure is an interesting case study of social well being. 86 year old working man, served his country, raised a family and played by the rules and in his time of need had to bum a ride after getting jacked in his own neighborhood... I don't miss it a bit. Now I know this is just me ranting about the obvious and this is just an average day in the fair city but how does one get used to hearing these stories and not just want to throw your hands up and head of better pastures. Good luck Detroit..

[eno]

Funny thing is you never heard that one on the suburban news.

The good people of "SE Michigan" would NEVER ignore an elderly person who has been the victim of an heinous crime, nor would the good people of "SE Michigan" EVER hit an elderly person just crossing the street.

I may just take that incident over to the Anti-Detroit/racist posters over at Fox 2 Suburban Detroit.

You have no proof that the incident posted by 48091 actually happened. Whereas, the incident of the old man, beaten down, carjacked and crawling for help to the gas station was captured on videotape for the whole world to see.

[Meddle]

I don't understand why this is all over the national news websites.

Nor do I understand why having been in some branch of the service 50-60 years ago is relevant.

[firstandten]

I don't understand why this is all over the national news websites.

Nor do I understand why having been in some branch of the service 50-60 years ago is relevant.

Because our seniors should be honored and treasured as elder statesmen/women, as well as service to our country especially as a WW II vet.

A trueism is the statement that a measure of how civilized a society is how it treats its young and its old.

[Zacha341]

Precisely!

Because our seniors should be honored and treasured as elder statesmen/women, as well as service to our country especially as a WW II vet.

A trueism is the statement that a measure of how civilized a society is how it treats its young and its old.

[Buy American]

I don't understand why this is all over the national news websites.

Nor do I understand why having been in some branch of the service 50-60 years ago is relevant.

It's relevant because this elderly man was probably a Marine or in the Army or Air Force or Navy and fought for our country, came home, raised a decent family in Detroit and he didn't deserve getting treated like he did...not only by the carjacker, but by the idiots who stepped over him to get into the store and walked by him while he was crawling. This man deserves better than that and it's deplorable what happened to him.

What is happening in Detroit should be in the National news, every day, until something drastic happens and laws can be changed and the ACLU can stick their noses where the sun don't shine. Then, maybe then, civility will return to Detroit.

[Downriviera]

I'll say it again. Detroit needs an updated Stress Unit. Stop Robberies Enjoy Safe Streets. Or maybe a vigilante ala Charles Bronson in Death Wish.

[Wheels]

I don't understand why this is all over the national news websites.

Nor do I understand why having been in some branch of the service 50-60 years ago is relevant.

Because its another example of "Only in Detroit" to the rest of the country.

[Islandman]

And some people find military service important. Some don't, obviously.

[Wheels]

I'll say it again. Detroit needs an updated Stress Unit. Stop Robberies Enjoy Safe Streets. Or maybe a vigilante ala Charles Bronson in Death Wish.

We could bring back the Big 4 in a shinny black Chrysler 300.

[Downriviera]

We could bring back the Big 4 in a shinny black Chrysler 300.

Yes, the Big 4.

[Zacha341]

Setting aside the military background pro or con, this robbery was horrid on several levels. It speaks again to specific predatory nature of crime. This man was clearly made a 'mark' and this robber WILL strike again. And this did not occur in one of the bad areas per se, though that gas station has had robberies before in the last five years....

I'm done with certain activities in the city. Like pumping gas [[day or night). My dad passed away a few years ago. I thought about how hard it would be fore him 80+ years [[were he alive today) going about in the city he loved so much. Like the retired man at the bus stop who was 'walked' back to his house and brutally shot before his wife, this is an example of elders being targeted without thought of consequence...

The car jacker that did this would probably justify his actions without hesitation.

And some people find military service important. Some don't, obviously.

[Buy American]

These thugs who target the elderly are cowards, little rats who come out and go after the easy pickings.