Victims of viral South Bend robbery video speak out

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A local theft caught on camera raises concerns for safety in South Bend.

The viral video was shared on Friday, showing four females in a physical altercation, and the caption saying two of them were robbed.

The 25 second video captures the aftermath of a robbery and a traumatizing scene for the two victims.

“They are very fearful, they’re very fearful for their life,” says a translator for the two Spanish-speaking victims.

The two women say they were having a yard sale near their home on Washington Street just west of downtown, selling household items to make some extra money.

“They had two females coming in to shop around and one female was asking her ‘How much is this product?’ while another one has a bag in her hand,” the translator explains.

However, what you see in this video is the very end of the altercation.

Before the witness hit record on her cell phone, they claim the two thieves stole about $100 worth of merchandise and attacked them, hitting one in the head with a bottle of detergent and kicking the other in the stomach.

They say the video, with almost 100,000 views on Facebook, was an unexpected result of the terrifying situation.

“She was embarrassed, you know it’s a robbery, she didn’t want to be online, so she did not expect this video to go viral,” says the translator.

While they say the video has garnered some support, not all of the reactions were positive.

However, it did help get the attention of authorities, with South Bend Police saying Tuesday it’s Major Crimes Unit is now investigating the robbery.

“They’re getting more attention from it, so she does believe this is why the police are focusing on it now more than the day it occurred,” the translator explains.

The victims want to warn the community of scary situations like these, especially since it happened in broad daylight.

They are relieved it wasn’t worse.

“They could have been armed, they could have been killed, anything could have happened,” the translator says. “She’s thankful that nothing else did happen other than some items that were lost.”

If you know anything about who those two females in the video may be, South Bend Police urge you to call Michiana Crime Stoppers at 574-288- stop with any information.