South Bay Mall Beating Victim Describes Ordeal; Attackers At Large

TORRANCE, CA — A man was shopping at a South Bay shopping mall buying Christmas presents when a group of armed suspects held him at gunpoint, beat him and left him, according to reports.

According to KTLA, the victim, Absalom Wilkins, was leaving the Del Amo Fashion Center on Dec. 23 when two men approached him.

“I was fearing for my life,” Wilkins told KTLA. “Especially when you’re getting up and they’re saying they’re going to shoot you."

Wilkins left the mall at about 9 p.m. when a vehicle nearly crashed into him while he was walking across a crosswalk. Wilkins said he knocked on the car's windows to tell the driver to pay attention and the driver stepped out of the car to confront him.

Shortly after, a second car pulled up with a man and a woman inside. Both of the men from the vehicles cornered Wilkins and started beating him, the victim told KTLA. When Wilkins attempted to get up, the men told him to stay down or they would shoot him.

Witnesses called the police during the attack, which caused the suspects to flee with Wilkins' shopping bags when officers arrived. Before the suspects could get too far, Wilkins jumped into the car as the female suspect drove away in an attempt to get his gifts back.

"I just spent thousands of dollars on Christmas shopping," Wilkins told KTLA.

During the ride, the woman lost control of the vehicle during the pursuit and crashed it into the mall's parking structure. She then got out of the car and ran away on foot, leaving the stolen shopping bags behind in the car.

All three suspects evaded police and remain at large. Wilkins told KTLA that local police have a good idea who the suspects are and the investigation is ongoing.

Read more from KTLA: Man attacked in violent Torrance mall robbery, suspects at large