Six arrested in attacks on seniors

[VeriSexy]

Six people were arrested on Saturday night in a police sting set up to catch an organized gang of young drug addicts who were videotaped beating and robbing seniors in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver police say there have been six recent incidents in which seniors were violently attacked by a group of men and women, but there may be more unknown victims because some are afraid to report the assaults.

In an amateur video of one attack, a number of people in their twenties and early thirties surround an elderly man and beat him almost to unconsciousness. The bleeding senior appears too weak and disoriented to resist as his attackers rifle through his pockets, stealing his money and possessions.

VPD Head of Operations Inspector John McKay says police were outraged by what they saw on the tape.

"When you see the video it's really disturbing, because you can clearly see that the victims are helpless anyway," he says. "And it's really nasty. It's horrendous what they have done here."

McKay says the alleged attackers are drug-addicted residents of the Downtown Eastside.

"They're very violent. They usually work in a pack, like a wolf pack," McKay says.

According to police, one person will start a conversation with the intended victim and other members of the gang will then physically attack the senior, sometimes using a weapon. The rest of the pack then joins in robbing the victim.

"The goal is to get the money so they can buy more drugs."

McKay says the elderly victims of the attacks, who are residents of the area, are unwilling to testify because they fear retribution. So, police sent their own "victim" out on the streets.

A police officer walked alone into a dark Eastside alley at night, disguised as a crippled old man in an attempt to lure the gang into attacking again. The decoy officer wore a hat with a hidden video camera and more officers hid behind doors at either end of the alley, ready to intervene if necessary.

"This is really dangerous for a police officer to undertake and yet it's the only way we can find, having tried all the others, to actually make an arrest and get a charge, because now we have a victim who can go to court. We have audio, we have visual recordings of what happened," McKay says. "So it's effective."

The two-day "Operation Oldtimer" resulted in six arrests, including three men who have been charged with robbery. Police are still looking for two other suspects.


http://www.canada.com/vancouver/stor...1-95b25cb14658

[Turboface]

Just another sign of the times.

[flashfire]

robbing seniors...that is horrible, hope they catch those other 2

[wargames]

They should pick someone their own age.

[VeriSexy]

Originally Posted by flashfire

robbing seniors...that is horrible, hope they catch those other 2

Pretty messed up to gang up a old ladies or old men. Very easy to kill one of them since they are so weak and defenseless.

[sonofsam]

i saw that shit on tv... that was brutal.... *sigh* ... the things people do for drugs