A California teenager and her mother claim they were attacked and robbed of $3,000 during a busy shopping mall parking lot during a confrontation with another group over a parking spot.
The controversy occurred when Natalie Martinez, 19, and her mother, Patricia Coupa, went to the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, California. to return the sweater at one of the stores on Wednesday. According to KTLA.
The two arrived at the crowded shopping center just after 5pm, but had trouble finding parking and were forced to drive around the grounds until the boy finally found an empty space.
Martinez parked his car at the scene, honking his horn to warn the cars next to him to close their doors.
Cooper believes the other driver “deliberately” left the door open.
“She was just sitting there and I decided to honk the horn.” told ABC7. “According to her, we didn't have enough patience.”
They said they encountered five people who jumped out of the car and began shouting insults and racist remarks at them. According to KTLA.
The four women and one man reportedly threw drinks at each other before they became physical.
A scuffle ensued, with the two women throwing punches at Martinez, who fell to the ground.
A third woman grabbed the boy by the legs and pulled him from between the two cars, the paper said.
Martinez got back on his feet and exchanged several punches with one of the belligerent women, according to video obtained by KTLA.
Video taken by a witness shows the man getting into Martinez's Volkswagen SUV through the driver's door, stealing her wallet, then getting out of the car and returning to the back of the truck.
Mr. Cooper claimed his wallet was taken during the scuffle, and he lost his driver's license, credit cards and $3,000 in cash that he had planned to use to pay for rent, bills and Christmas presents.
Martinez suffered several bruises and a cut to her lip as a result of the altercation.
The suspects rushed to the Citadel Outlets, about 11 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, while police investigated.
In September, an elderly man in Queens was punched by a violent man with a baseball after an argument in a parking lot.
Authorities and sources told The Post that Michael McGill, 51, had confronted the 72-year-old over parking at the residential corner of Austin Street and 77th Street in Forest Hills around 6:50 p.m. collided with a man.
McGill hit the senior in the head with a bat, and the fight became violent.
The elderly man was treated at the scene for bruises to his head and is in stable condition, police and officials said.
