Grandparents in Florida fought off two suspected assailants who attempted to steal their car while their three grandchildren were in the backseat, FOX35 reported Tuesday.
The grandparents had intended to spend a pleasant day with their grandchildren at Cocoa Beach when, instead, they ended up fending off the two suspects, according to FOX35.
The grandmother, Liz Maysonet, told FOX35 that as soon as she and her grandchildren got out of the car and tried to unload their beach gear, the alleged attempted carjack happened, and she and her husband began fighting with the alleged attackers, FOX35 reported. (RELATED: Teens Who Carjacked Grandmother, Dragged Her To Death, Get Sweetheart Plea Deal)
Florida grandparents fight off would-be carjackers as grandkids were in back seat https://t.co/8TuGasEbmv
— FOX 35 Orlando (@fox35orlando) April 24, 2024
“As soon as we walked to the back (of the car), one of the young men jumped,” Maysonet said.
Maysonet told FOX35 that it was “[t]he scariest thing I’ve ever been through by far,” adding that, “I got into the passenger side to try to put the car in the parking again and that’s when the guy turned to me and assaulted me in the side of my face.”
Maysonet’s husband then began struggling to get the suspect out of the car, she told FOX35.
“What would have happened if he was able to take off with the car?” Maysonet asked.
The grandparents sustained minor injuries in the fight and their young grandchildren, who witnessed the altercation from the backseat, were safe and uninjured, FOX35 reported.
Although police said incidents like these are rare and isolated at Cocoa Beach, a spokesman warned that people should always take care and know their surroundings, according to the outlet.
“I think they saw a potential victim, and they took advantage,” the spokesman said. “You should always be vigilant of your surroundings…and if you’re unloading, and you’re going back and forth, we recommend having one person with the van and the other with the family.”