Two armed robbers ambushed a Ferrari driver and attempted to steal his watch outside a jewelry store in Beverly Hills on Friday, leaving the victim bleeding from his head after he refused to let go of his timepiece.
The violent attack was caught on video, showing the assailants beating the victim bloody, before fleeing.
The incident comes as Los Angeles County, under the leadership of progressive District Attorney George Gascon, continues to struggle with rising crime rates, especially robberies, burglaries and carjackings.
A brazen robbery attempt was caught on video in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday, showing two thugs attacking the owner of a Ferrari
The victim was punched and pistol-whipped after refusing to hand over his watch to the attackers, who ambushed him on South Beverly Drive
After encountering resistance, the perpetrators (pictured left) fled the scene
According to the Beverly Hills Police, the botched robbery attempt took place just after 3pm on Friday in the 200 block of South Beverly Drive, reported ABC 7 Los Angeles.
The male victim, who has not been named, was said to have just exited a nearby jewelry store and was approaching his black Ferrari parked outside an optician when he was accosted by two robbers.
One of the suspects was allegedly armed with a gun.
Viral video from the scene shows one of the attackers beating the victim, punching and pistol-whipping him.
The objective of the daytime robbery was to steal the victim’s watch, but the Ferrari owner put up a fight, eventually causing the thugs to flee.
The unnamed victim is seen in a screenshot lying injured in the middle of the street, just steps away from his luxury car
Witnesses rushed to the man’s aid and helped stopped the bleeding from a head wound before medics arrived
A small crowd gathered at the scene as police set up a perimeter to try and catch the robbers
In the cellphone recording, the victim is seen lying injured in the middle of the street. Good Samaritans rush to his side and administer first aid, with one of them seen carrying bloodied towel.
Garin Oganin, the owner of L’Optique, described a ‘horrible scene.’
‘I tried to go out and get involved and help, try to basically help out the guy,’ he told Fox 11. ‘The minute I tried to do that, I noticed one of the guys had a gun and I thought this is going to make things worse if someone interferes.
‘Shortly after, everybody started screaming he has a gun, and the guys took off. They were basically trying to steal his watch. It has been a trend here in Beverly Hills.’
Police said the two would-be robbers managed to escape, despite cops setting up a perimeter around the crime scene.
Witnesses said one robber took off running, while the other jumped into a waiting car and sped away.
‘I want to reassure the community that all measures are being taken to keep our community safe. This evening, we have a full complement of police officers on high alert,’ Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said in a statement.
LA County DA George Gascon is facing a second recall attempt after being accused of being soft on crime
As of Monday morning, no arrests have been announced in connection with the violent robbery attempt.
Beverly Hills, which is home to Hollywood celebrities and luxury stores, has been the scene of numerous brazen smash-and-grab robberies in recent months.
By the end of 2021, robberies and aggravated assaults in the city of 34,000 people were up 13 and 23 per cent, respectively, compared to the previous year.
In January 2022, Beverly Hills saw six robberies, 29 burglaries and 81 larcenies.
Beverly Hills leaders have come out in force against DA Gascon, who has been widely criticized as being soft-on-crime for displaying what has been perceived as undue leniency towards suspected criminals.
The progressive prosecutor is currently facing a second recall vote, after the first attempt to have him removed from office failed last year, despite receiving support from LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and victims rights advocates.
