LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — On February 6th the Lee County Sheriffs Office was conducting an operation in the area of Colin Avenue South and Meadow Road. The Sheriffs Office Aviation Unit in this video here, noticing a suspicious individual attempting to burglarize the vehicles. Identified as 23 year old Jeremy Ra’sheed Ponds was later apprehended by deputies.
We caught up with one of the victims who describes the take down.
“They were following him a couple of houses down from us, and then I guess from the clip that I saw just as he opened my car door, you know somebody opened it up, and as he was going through the truck that’s when they came out with a k9 and they caught him in the lot next to my house”, Tori Henderson.
Henderson says he never thought this could happen to him, but now he is more cautious.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t bother you until it happens to you, you know you just have to be more cautious and keep your stuff locked up,” said Henderson.
He’s right, it could happen to any of us, even in a public parking lot. One self defense training coach says, lock your doors and hide your possessions, but it all comes down to situational awareness.
“You wanna be somewhere where it’s well lit, if it’s not will lit, if it’s dark, if you see a car that’s parked next to your car, or you get a funny feeling, or you see somebody walking around the parking lot, or you have that gut instinct or that gut intuition tell you somethings wrong, something is probably wrong”, said Robert Torillo.
Even sharing an easy breakaway technique.
“Alright so when I grab the wrist you’re going to take the thin part of your wrist, and you’re going to bring it towards the weakest point of the grip which is where the thumb and fingers meet. You’re going to roll your hands towards the thinnest part, towards the weakest part of the grip, and and you’re going to pull back ”, said Robert Torillo.
And one for if you are being grabbed.
‘You got your elbows up right, if they try to grab, your elbows are going to go up towards the chest. This hand is going to go here and you’re going to push the head that way. So when someone tries to grab, it’s elbows up one side and push, and drive through that person”, said Torillo.
Torillo says simply don’t make yourself and easy target.
“They do happen all the time, again it’s a crime of opportunity, so if you make it easy it’s going to happen”, said Torillo.
