It is the season of giving – but one San Diego woman may have been caught taking advantage of people’s goodwill.
Melissa Smith saw a pregnant woman and her son panhandling every day at The Eastlake Village Center for 2 months. On weekends they would be joined by a man and the begging woman would hold up a sign reading “please help” and, according to Smith, people gave “lots of money” to her.
Smith told ABC 10, she was quite surprised to then see the beggars climb into a Mercedes Benz and drive away.
“I noticed they grabbed their little boy and they got into a Mercedes Benz,” Smith said. “I thought, ‘Wow, a Mercedes Benz. It’s not even used — it’s not old. It’s a new Benz.'”
“Lo and beyond they were in front of us,” she said. “Here they are counting money, laughing and their little boy is not in a car seat or seat belt. He’s all the way in the front seat with them.”
Smith took pictures of the car and the license plate and followed the panhandlers – to another shopping plaza to do more begging!
That is where things got a little crazy…
She said the woman saw her taking the pictures and started yelling at Smith to stop.
“Next thing I know, she picked up this big boulder,” Smith said, “I don’t know if pregnant people can do that. She puts it over her head and starts coming at me with this rock.”
Smith was not harmed, a witness to the scene called 911 and police responded, but the panhandlers had already fled the scene.
ABC 10 tried to track down the woman panhandling, boulder-hoisting but was unsuccessful.
UPDATE: The woman may have been found
