An afternoon jaunt turns into a nightmare for local grandmother
NORTH OF MONTANA A grandmother who was robbed at knifepoint last week as she walked with her two grandchildren has been circulating fliers warning her neighbors to be on the lookout for two suspects.
Merrilly Ogburn said she is concerned about the safety of her neighbors after two Hispanic men dressed in dark clothing confronted her and her two grandchil-dren, ages 4 and 6, near the corner of 25th Street and Georgina Avenue around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 19.
One of the men pulled out a 6-to 8-inch long kitchen knife and lunged towards her before the two ran off with her purse and a package containing a leather jacket, Ogburn said days after the incident.
In her purse were her house and car keys, her driver’s license, credit cards and cash.
The purse was recovered along with her identification and credit cards, but Ogburn still worries that the thieves may have written down her information and plan to return.
“This was just awful,” said Ogburn, who claims to have circulated more than 300 fliers. “I’m just so lucky that the kids are OK, but I’m also angry that Santa Monica continues to be a dumping ground for parolees and offenders of all kinds.
The two suspects were described similarly as Hispanic males in their late teens or early 20s, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing about 135 pounds with dark hair and medium complexion. Both were wearing dark clothing.
“Unless we take it upon ourselves to do something, no one would know about it.” — I WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THIS HAPPENED AND IT HAPPENED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT ON A PUBLIC STREET.” Merrilly Ogburn, Robbery victim
Witnesses said they saw two men matching that description jump into a white, four-door sedan shortly after the robbery. The license plate had the number 5 and letters J and N, according to police. While Ogburn said in her flier that police told her robberies and burglaries are “rampant from the beach into Brentwood,” Lt. Alex Padilla with the Santa Monica Police Department refuted the claim. It appears as if the robbery was an isolated incident and that there have been no reports of men matching the suspects’ description driving north of Montana Avenue in a white four-door vehicle.
“Not to diminish what she went through, because I’m sure it was a traumatic event for her and for the children, but this isn’t rampant,” Padilla said. “We are doing everything we can to investigate this and apprehend the suspects. This is still an ongoing investigation and anyone with information is encouraged to call Santa Monica police.”
Some neighbors have complained about burglaries and vandalism, but Padilla said there has not been an increase in robberies.
Last week, Santa Monica officers were involved in a high-speed chase with two suspects that refused to stop their vehicle for questioning after several neighbors in Sunset Park said they saw the pair driving around the neighborhood and knocking on doors.
Padilla said the incidents were not related and involved two different sets of suspects.
Even so, Ogburn believes residents need to be aware so that they can protect themselves. That’s why she circulated the flier and why she included her name and address as well.
“I wanted to let people know that I’m real,” Ogburn said. “I wanted people to know that this happened and it happened in broad daylight on a public street.”
Ogburn still loves her neighborhood, but she will never forget the time she stared down at a knife and wondered if she and her grandchildren would be OK.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 28, 2007. Read the original PDF.