Is This Old Woman Being Abused?
A YouTube video showing a confrontation between two men has garnered a lot of attention in the last few days. The video shows one man confronting another on the street as he attempts to load an older woman in a wheelchair into his car. Here’s the description from the Youtube account:
A well-dressed man is busted in a con while picking up his elderly mother after forcing her to beg for money for several hours in the cold. This event occurred at the UCI Town Center shopping center.
I first observed the elderly women at 11:00 PM outside of “Cha for Tea” coffee shop. It was a cold evening, 55 degrees. Here sat a very old Asian women (possibly in her 80’s) with white hair in a wheelchair holding a sign that said simply “HELP ME.”
I asked her for her name, and how I could help her. She said her name was Cathy, and she asked for money because she had been homeless for six months. This was part of some type of a scam because she was not homeless, her son picks her up every evening in a very nice Toyota Prius!!
She appeared to have signs of disability (perhaps mental illness) based on her rambling speech. A nearby UCI Town Center security guard (young Caucasian male in his early 20’s) said that she is often dropped off there by her son, who drives a silver Toyota Prius. He then picks her up later in the evening. The security guard said this has been going on for “years.”
I decided to wait and see if the security guard’s story was true, and at 2:00 AM, a Toyota Prius pulled up next to the old lady and out stepped a well dressed 6’0″ tall Asian male. He approached her and proceeded to wheel her over to the passenger side of the car. This video picks it up from there.
Can’t tell if this is totally legit, but the Irvine police are looking into the matter and investigating if there’s any truth to this Asian guy pimping out this old woman for a homeless scam.
Read more at latimesblogs.com.
