BELLEVUE, Wash. — Bellevue Police are warning about attacks on the elderly across the city.
This comes after police say there have been a string of strong-armed robberies targeting people who are in their late sixties to early nineties.
“A male and a female duo come up to these elderly people and either offer a bag of jewelry or ask for directions, and in doing so they forcibly take necklaces and watches off these victims,” Captain Shelby Shearer said.
Llayll Fry was targeted near his home Tuesday evening as he was checking the mail.
“She did it so quick, you know, I thought they wanted directions,” said Fry. “I guess they saw how weak I was and when I got right there from the mailbox they stopped the car and opened the door and the lady talked to me asking questions real nice.”
Unfortunately, what the couple was really after, was his watch.
“All those scars and I was bleeding and they got the Rolex, jumped in the car, and drove off,” he said. There have been at least two other similarly reported incidents.
On June 19th, a 71-year-old woman had her Rolex ripped off her wrist after helping someone with directions at the intersection of 124th Avenue and Northeast 2nd Street.
“It’s very manipulative and as a matter of fact they’re approaching our victims with an act of kindness. They appear to be offering jewelry or asking for directions and in doing so, when our victims are complying with that and trying to be nice, that’s when they get their items taken from them,” Shearer said.
On June 17th, police say an elderly couple was stopped at the corner of 108th Avenue Northwest and Northeast 2nd Place by two suspects speaking a different language. The suspects indicated they needed help with directions to a hospital. As soon as the victims helped, the suspects ripped off one of the victims’ gold necklaces.
“We tell our kids about stranger danger and that goes for adults too,” Shearer said. As for Fry, he said he’s just glad he wasn’t hurt worse.
“I’ve been all over the world and went to war in Vietnam, so my attitude about life is what is and so I’ve been through a lot,” Fry said.
If you have any information or know who the suspects are, call Bellevue Police.
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