A Torrance man went Christmas shopping at Del Amo mall and found himself in the hospital, beaten and bruised after he fought back against a group of people robbing him Saturday night.
“I’m here shopping at Del Amo mall and look what happened to me. I was a victim of a robbery, at gunpoint, and almost died,” said Absalom Wilkins.
Wilkins said he was leaving the mall with several shopping bags just after 9 p.m. the day before Christmas Eve, when a BMW almost hit him as he crossed the road.
Wilkins said he approached a man and a woman in the BMW and told them to pay attention, but another man in a SUV quickly pulled up, and two men from both vehicles got out and approached him.
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"Dude just starts taking off on me bam, bam, bam, knocks me on the floor… I’m literally on the floor protecting myself,” Wilkins said as he showed NBCLA how the men punched him.
He said they took his brand new phone and shopping bags with thousands of dollars in Christmas gifts for his family and friends.
As he begged for the items back, he said he saw a gun, and they yelled, “Shut up before we shoot you homie, shut up before we shoot you!”
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Wilkins said they then heard police patrol sirens in the distance and the two men jumped into the SUV, speeding off. The woman got into the BMW drivers seat and Wilkins opened the passenger door.
“I wasn't thinking because I hopped in the car so fast, I just had my blood pumping. I just had an adrenaline rush. I just wanted my stuff back,” he recalled.
Wilkins said he pleaded for her to give him his phone back as she drove off panicking.
“She lost control of the car and she crashed, like legit crashed and went down to the parking structure like two floors,” he said.
Wilkins hit his head on the windshield, cracking it. He said the woman got out and ran.
“I’m banged up all right here from the accident… my mouth is all swollen. My eyes is all messed up and everything… and my hand is all messed up,” Wilkins said as he showed his face and hands all bruised and scabbed.
Wilkins realizes that in hindsight, he could’ve died, but as a Los Angeles model, he said he works too hard to let anyone do this to him in his hometown.
“I grew up in Torrance and Del Amo mall never used to be like this. It’s just sad,” he said. “If you guys are going to come here with negativity, coming to beat up people, coming to rob people, coming to hurt people… keep that elsewhere.”
Torrance police confirm they did not catch any of the people involved in the attack, but they are investigating.
Wilkins has not gotten any of his stuff back, but he’s hopeful police are able to catch the group of people based on the BMW left behind at the scene.
Police have also increased presence at the mall for the holiday shopping season.
