Brooklyn, NY -Both people involved in a bizarre botched robbery over pricey sneakers have been arrested after the victim rammed the teenage robber with his SUV, severing his arm, police said Saturday.
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Zachary Sam, 17, had arranged online to meet Philippe Pierre to buy a pair of $190 Air Jordan sneakers on a Brooklyn street, police said. But when he hopped into Pierre’s SUV, he pulled out a gun and demanded the shoes for free, according to authorities.
Surveillance footage from the scene shows the teenager get out of the car, put something in his pocket, and walk away with a white plastic bag.
Pierre, 39, drives away slowly, but then makes a sharp U-turn and rams Sam, pinning him under the car and a fence. The teen hopped up and staggered away, his sleeve flapping. The arm and the gun were discovered at the scene, officials said.
Alex St. Fleur told the Daily News of New York that he was walking down the street when he saw the SUV jump the sidewalk and slam into the teenager. He and his son ran over and they saw the arm lying on the ground next to a shoebox.
“Everyone was yelling ‘Come back! Your arm! You’re going to bleed out!'” St. Fleur told the newspaper.
But Sam got onto a nearby bus, though the driver refused to move until he got off, and he ran to his home nearby. Sam remained hospitalized; his arm was severed below the elbow, according St. Fleur.
The teen was arrested on a charge of robbery and criminal possession of a weapon and Pierre was arrested on an attempted murder charge.
Pierre’s family members sobbed in the courtroom during his arraignment Saturday. His attorney told the Daily News he was “astonished” that his client was charged in the case.
“I don’t mean to be harsh, but I think Mr. Sam in a sense was getting what he deserved,” the lawyer, James Harding, told the newspaper. “My client is an absolute victim in this case.”
Sam remained in police custody Saturday night. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on the case.
Did they cuff Mr. Sam’s both hands?
At some level Nike bears some responsibility for dumb poor people spending ridiculous amounts of money on their sneakers.
I guess it ended up to be quite a different case after all. Mr. Sam was clealy un-armed and was acting in “self-in-fence”
I’m guessing the judge will say that”…on one hand he’s guilty, but on the other hand….wait a minute…WHERE IS THE OTHER HAND??!!
I don’t see attempt to murder, I think it will be hard to prove intention
It gives a new meaning to ‘armed robbery’.
I don’t think its right for anyone here to jump to conclusions without hearing both sides in court. Its possible, at least maybe, the gun and hand were planted there by the police. And if the sneakers don’t fit?
Shouldn’t Sam be compensated for the loss of his hand? After all this is the USA, not Saudi Arabia. As Americans we are supposed to provide justice for all. Even thieves -if it should be determined by the court that Sam is a thief- has his constitutional rights. Does anyone here believe not that way? While Sam may be a thief with a loaded gun, but he surely was not looking to amputate anyone. Sam may have needed to steal to support his elderly parents or his baby; who knows? Let’s not condemn in our state of doubt. Our prayers are with Sam. Anyone know his mother’s name?
What we have here is street justice implemented in a most brutal form. Both “victims” are guilty of gross stupidity at its worst. These two just proved that a negative times a negative doesn’t always yield a positive.
Why is everyone getting “disjointed”. This is Sharia Law. You steal, and you get your hand chopped off. Now you can not steal with that hand. Deblasio should train the NYPD in this method to reduce the Box cutter slashing’s.
He had a perfect right to take back the stolen property. And since it was stolen with the threat of deadly force, he had a right to use force to retrieve his stolen property. Why are the courts and police making a crime out of self defense. I understand his life was no longer threatened, but his property was in the midst of being taken away. His actions successfully saved himself from being robbed.
This is rich. What a wonderful story. May they all end this way for these sick low lives. 17 year old with a gun…he has money for a gun but not to buy his sneakers honestly.