Two shocking videos have emerged of a motorist on his knees on the side of a Los Angeles freeway with his hands up while masked robbers ransacked his luxury car after appearing to purposely cause a wreck.
The robbery and wreck occurred on Los Angeles’ Interstate 10 on Tuesday shortly before 1:30 p.m. — with police investigating the incident as an intentional crash and planned robbery.
In a statement to KABC-TV, police explained that the driver of a black Dodge Caravan “intentionally crashed” into a black Alfa Romeo sedan on the eastbound side of Interstate 10 near Arlington Avenue.
One video of the incident, which was recorded by a driver or passenger in a passing vehicle, shows at least four masked thieves wearing dark clothing and hooded sweatshirts jumping out of the Dodge Caravan and running toward the crashed, smoking Alfa Romeo on the right shoulder of the freeway.
The driver of the luxury sedan could be seen kneeling on the ground with both of his hands in the air while the thieves ransacked his car, according to the footage shown by KABC-TV.
Another man standing nearby also shared footage of the incident taken on his cellphone.
[News] Los Angeles, California —Second angle of the armed robbery yesterday afternoon on the 10 freeway between Crenshaw and Arlington. | #robbery #guns #2ndAmendment #crime | 📸 streetpeopleoflosangeles pic.twitter.com/FQ3l6mZvHn
— PPV-TAHOE – News Journalist (@ppv_tahoe) October 26, 2023
KABC-TV spoke with the man, who did not want to show his face on camera.
“It seems like they knew what he had in his car,” the witness told the outlet, adding: “I felt really bad for him. I thought it was over for him, but he did the right thing. He put his hands up, let them take what they took, and that’s the safest way he could’ve done it.”
The man went on to explain that the incident looked like something out of a Hollywood movie — but “it was as real as it gets. Because that’s how it is in Los Angeles.”
Police also told KABC-TV that the suspects were armed with a hammer and a crowbar during the robbery, and fled the scene in a different vehicle — a white Chevrolet Malibu, which was last seen eastbound on Interstate 10.
The suspects have not been caught or identified as of Thursday evening, and no injuries were reported during the incident. Police also noted that a Ford Mustang was also hit during the incident.
According to KABC-TV, it is also unclear what was stolen during the robbery or if there is a connection between the robbers and the victim.
