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74 year old robbery victim chases suspects

Posted on July 7th, 2010

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A couple from Florida were held at gunpoint last Saturday after a spirited game at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel And Casino. The couple were going home after winning a hefty amount at the poker tables. The two believed the suspects noticed them and must have followed them to their home after their winning streak. The couple are regulars at the casino and told the police they didn’t notice anyone or anything suspicious.

Thomas reported to have been robbed of about $4000. The first thing they noticed was seeing a shadow in the lawn after the alarms were triggered. Josephine Gigliotti said “They came out of nowhere.” She closed the door and went inside the house after Thomas shouted for her to get inside. Thomas said “I could see the barrel of his gun right at my window. And I’m trying to start the truck. I’m trying to put the keys in. But I’m nervous.”

Thomas thought that was the end of the line for him. “I thought this was it” said Thomas. “I think there was a lot of anger, the way they pointed their guns and they were kicking me,” he further explained. But Thomas unlike any other regular person decided to fight back. After being beaten and kicked, Thomas jumped back on his car and chased the suspects in high speed at around 2 am Sunday morning. They were speeding at about 65 miles per hour.

Thomas described it as “one of the greatest chases you’ve ever seen”. “They went right, left. They made their mistake when they went on the straightaway.” Thomas then caught up with the robbers on Cypress Road and then rammed their car, causing the robbers to swerve out of control. The robbers then took off, leaving the car on the road—much to the police’s use. Thomas backed up and didn’t pursue, “I didn’t want them to shoot me,” Thomas said.

Back home, Josephine didn’t know that her husband went on a wild chase with the robbers. Josephine hurriedly turned off their alarm and alerted 911 as soon as she got inside the house. “I went back outside expecting to see my husband on the ground, but he wasn’t there. I looked and I didn’t see the truck.” she said. Thomas went straight to the Plantation police station after chasing the suspects, the police were already alerted by Josephine even before her husband got to them. The police assured Thomas that Josephine was okay and was unharmed. “I was worried about her, and on the other hand, she was worried about me,” Thomas said.

The incident, wasn’t exactly a first for Thomas. Back in 1993, he was also attacked and held at gunpoint inside his Oakland Park Pizza shop. On that incident he was even hospitalized for injuries from hammer beatings on his head. The suspect was eventually arrested. This apparently wasn’t enough for the 74-year old to hold back.

Even though Thomas’ actions ended up helpful the police, the police advised Thomas and the public that it would have been better if Thomas did not chase the robbers as he did. Detective Robert Rettig, spokesman of Plantation Police said “We believe that the victim’s actions may have been helpful. However, we would not recommend that anyone try to put their own lives at risk for a property crime. If you don’t want to become a victim, you really should be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. If you think you’re being followed, call 911.” As for now, Wife Josephine swears off her casino days saying “I don’t want to ever go back there.” For Thomas, who was already the victim of a previous robbery and assault, the latest incident isn’t enough to keep him from playing in his favorite casino. He says that he enjoys too much a game of poker in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to stop. He just remains hopeful that there won’t ever be another life-threatening incident again in his life.