Surveillance video shows man threatening 83-year-old woman on Miami Beach – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – An elderly woman is telling her story after, she says, a stranger threatened to hurt her on the street in Miami Beach and it was caught on camera.
Eighty-three-year-old Jo Mannin, a long-time Miami Beach preservationist and advocate who recently lost her husband, said on Sunday, she became a victim of an attempted strong arm robbery near her home.
“I’m in shock, because it’s a very peaceful Sunday morning, and I walk this street all the time, there are lots of people around and, all the sudden, I’m accosted by someone who’s threatening me with bodily harm,” said Mannin.
Mannin was walking northbound on Collins Avenue near 15th Street when a man gets in her face and threatens her.
“Someone appears, gets in my face and says to me ‘Give me all of your money now, or I’m going to hurt you,’” said Mannin.
Surveillance video, obtained exclusively by 7News, shows the 83-year-old walking on the street when the man, through pixelation and a crowd, approaches her.
“I see his hands in front of my face, and I say ‘No,no,no’ and so I run,” said Mannin.
The woman was able to safely run away.
“Did you have enough time in your mind to say, ‘Maybe I should just give this guy my money,’” 7’s Sheldon Fox said.
“I work too hard for my money, so that comes into consideration. Also, I was just so taken aback, and I thought ‘How rude is this person?’ and ‘I’m gonna get out of here,’” said Mannin. “My first reaction was to get out of there fast.”
“And it worked,” Sheldon Fox said.
“It worked,” said Mannin. “I couldn’t fight this guy.”
When she got to her home, she called the police.
“Within minutes, I got a visit from three police officers,” said Mannin.
Detectives showed up to her home later.
Mannin’s incident on Collins Avenue comes just days after the unprovoked punching of a Chilean tourist a couple blocks away was caught on camera.
She said she brought up the incident of the tourist to Miami Beach Police.
“I brought up the punch because I thought it looked like it could be,” said Mannin.
But then said the man who she encountered might not be the same person who punched the Chilean tourist.
“100% red shorts,” said a man who saw the subject that punched the tourist.
The man did not want to reveal his identity but said he saw the subject on Friday.
“I passed and maybe five minutes after, he hit the person on Collins [Avenue]” said the man.
He said he had to side step the guy who came in his direction, blocking his path and rambling.
“I could’ve been the next one, because I, it was so unprovoked. There didn’t seem to be a reason.”
Mannin said people have to be careful as strangers may decide to attack randomly.
“There are too many strange people walking around the streets and they may decide to attack you for whatever reason and be careful,” said Mannin.
Miami Beach Police tell 7News that robbery detectives are “actively investigating” this case.
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