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On September 7, Wednesday, the Broward Sheriff's Office released footage of an August 23rd assault that depicts a man assaulting a mother of three in a Florida grocery store.
In the video, the suspect can be seen parking a Nissan before he seemingly follows a woman and her three children into the grocery store. The suspect allegedly grabs the woman's chain, punches her, and then struggles with her briefly before they both fall down, landing on the victim's 3-year-old daughter. The suspect subsequently gets up, sprints back to the Nissan, and drives away from the scene.
The video of the incident, which took place at around 4:15 pm in the 8000 block of West McNab Road, has since gone viral.
In an interview with Click Orlando, Jessica Greer, the victim, said that she believed the attack was an attempted abduction, but that due to the ensuing struggle, the suspect was only able to flee with her necklace.
Greer told the outlet about her struggle:
“I fell to the floor, my daughter fell on top of me and he fell on top of my daughter, my 3-year-old."
She added,
"I don’t know what this world has come to but it is very sad, you have to protect your children, you have to protect yourself at all costs."
The case is currently under investigation by Florida authorities. The suspect has not yet been identified. However, authorities reported that the suspect drove a light-colored Nissan, and wore a white shirt, dark pants, and a white colored hat.
Crime in Florida
According to USA Today, Florida has a violent crime rate of 384.9 per 100,000 people, making it around the same as the national rate. State records indicate that while overall crime rates are declining, violent crime has remained steady, seeing a 2.3% rise this year.
In Fort Lauderdale, where the incident took place, it was reported by Neighborhood Scout that the chances of being a victim of violent crime in the city are approximately 1 in 156. While the US national average for violent crime is 22.7, in Fort Lauderdale it is 36.7.
In an interview with Tampa Bay, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri discussed measures that could be taken to reduce crime across the state.
Gualtieri said:
“To do our job in the community, we have to have the public’s trust and we’ve had lots of candid conversations in the community. It may sound naïve, but I still believe in the power of good, effective communication.”
Crime Grade reported that the region around Fort Lauderdale, the South East, has more abduction cases than the eastern part of the state. In the South East, the chances of being a victim are approximately 1 in 4673, while in the East it is 1 in 13176.
As per the FBI's 2020 Uniform Report, while abductions are not particularly frequent in Florida, property crimes such as muggings remain a prominent concern for state authorities.
