Fla. woman in wheelchair robbed, duo sought

HIALEAH, Fla. - Police in Hialeah, Fla. are on the lookout for a man and woman accused of robbing a 53-year-old woman in a wheelchair, reports CBS Miami.

Elsa Riesgo told authorities she was ambushed by a man at around 9:30 a.m. on October 3 while she was waiting for a county van to pick her up outside her home.

"I was on the phone and felt a thumping in my back. I moved forward and the phone came flying out of my hand," Riesgo told the station. "The gentleman proceeded to try to grab my pocketbook. He pulled on the wheelchair. He pulled on me."

Riesgo said she fought back.

"I can't say why but my natural instincts came over me," she said. "He was grabbing my pocketbook and I thought he was going to push over my wheelchair. Right now I am left with some bruising. I have bruises on my arms, my side and my hips."

"I was in a little shock. It was daylight. I didn't think anything like this would happen," Riesgo added.

According to police, the man fled in a newer model red car with Riesgo's driver license, medical card and two debit cards.

Just minutes after the strong-arm robbery, the man and his female accomplice were captured on a security camera using the victim's debit card at an ATM machine in a Northwest Miami-Dade supermarket, reports the station.

The pair reportedly withdrew almost $1,000 from Riesgo's account.

"I have no idea how that happened. He didn't ask me for a pin. I had no time. They just took it and were able to withdraw money," Riesgo told the station.

She said she was reimbursed by her debit card company.

"It's sad. Anybody that preys on an innocent victim. It's something we take personally. We will do anything we can to help her out," Hialeah police Sgt. Eddie Rodriguez said, according to CBS Miami.

"If you see them, how young they are," Sgt. Rodriguez added. "It is sad that they are doing this type of crime."

Police described the white male suspect as being 5'6″ to 5'9″ tall, with an average build and tan complexion. They say he is 20 to 25-years-old with dark hair and was last seen wearing a grey shirt.

His accomplice is described as a white female who is 5′ to 5'7″ tall, with long hair and is between her late teens and early 20's.

"We need help from the public on this," said Rodriguez. "We want to talk to these two subjects we are looking for."

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-8477 (TIPS).