In a Hollywood neighborhood, a restaurant owner foiled a robbery of an elderly man. The event occurred on the first of this month, but gained prominence this week after the 'good Samaritan' gave an interview to FoxNews this Wednesday.
Tim Ratcliff decided to take justice into his own hands while the police arrived. His actions have brought public opinion to focus on the insecurity on the streets of Los Angeles. The city has seen a 69% increase in shootings since 2020. Violent crimes have increased by 7.2% and robberies increased by 18.5%. Auto thefts increased 40% compared to 2020, details FoxNews. The Los Angeles City Council approved additional shifts for Police Department officers in the area in an attempt to mitigate crime.
The chronicle of a 'good Samaritan'
Tim Ratcliff owns a restaurant called Shin in Los Angeles. He was struck by the fact that the offender spent time in the area in recent months and frequently came into his restaurant asking for food and water.
On the day of the event, the assailant entered Ratcliff's premises. He approached an elderly man, beat him and took his wallet and phone in broad daylight. This caused the business owner to come out after him and subdue him on the ground. He managed to recover the stolen belongings and return them to the victim. The suspect apologized and begged to be let go.
Criminal tackled by Hollywood business owner after pizzeria customer punched & robbed after eating in seating area - when you see somebody get assaulted, I can't tell you the feeling I have inside. It upsets me to have it happen video from Tim Ratcliffhttps://t.co/US0yfyl5KE pic.twitter.com/QX79yDRAgV
- drkugler (@drkugler) August 15, 2022
"I told him, you crossed the line this time, and you need to wait for the police and deal with this the right way," Ratcliff asserted to the shoplifter.
Tim Ratcliff has been nicknamed the 'Good Samaritan' for his heroic gesture. He fears that the assailant will be released. He took advantage of the media exposure to express that despite the fact that the district council recently approved the presence of 200 additional police officers for the area, "we haven't seen any boots on the ground yet. So I really hope that at some point, very soon that will start to happen." He also reported that the elderly man who was attacked is "fine" despite having broken ribs as a result of the aggression.
