'They Sucker Punched Me' - 81-Year-Old Chicago Hero Is Carjacked
Nowadays, not even local heroes have been spared by the thugs and hooligans ruling the streets of the major liberal cities.
Mothers, fathers, war veterans — no one has been exempt from the war on terror caused by the soft-on-crime policies of the liberal metropolis.
And, in one such city, Chicago, Illinois, a beloved local pizza delivery man and Vietnam War veteran found himself the latest victim of these indiscriminate crime sprees.
As reported by WLS-TV, 81-year-old Ernie Aimone, a retired Sergeant of the U.S. Army, was carjacked by a thug as he tried to cross the street on Wednesday.
Aimone was attacked just after 9 p.m., after delivering a pizza in Jefferson Park on the northwest side of the city.
Apparently, Aimone was just walking back to his car, when someone punched the back of his head, stealing his keys and going for a joyride in his car.
According to Aimone, “They said, ‘gimme the keys, gimme the keys.’ And they sucker punched me from behind, hit me in the face. I was afraid for my life.”
Fortunately, though, Aimone was not as seriously hurt as he could have been, and the Chicago police caught one of the teenage suspects after a lengthy car chase (though the car was heavily damaged).
?NEW: 81-year-old Vietnam Veteran Ernie Aimone sucker punched by teens before they stole and crashed his car. pic.twitter.com/H58HN1FNwF
— Frankman ?? (@Frankman_man) April 14, 2024
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But, as the GoFundMe page created in the wake of Aimone’s attack revealed, Aimone was no ordinary delivery man.
As the GoFundMe page created to help raise money for his car (seeing as the insurance company wanted to deny his claim) explained, Aimone had been delivering with local pizza shop Joe’s Pizza for over 40 years.
Likewise, the New York Post noted that he is beloved by coworkers and community members.
Frank Demote of Joe’s Pizza told WLS-TV, “He’s like family to us. He’s seen me grow up from very young. He worked for my Dad.”
Indeed, Dan Ciolino, the president of the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce, who set up the GoFundMe for Aimone in the first place, called Aimone a “local legend.”
Ciolino further said, “He’s been loyal to Joe’s for 40 years. He served our country. He deserves our support in his time of need.”
And the people of Chicago certainly gave him that support, with the GoFundMe page raising over $57,000 of $75,000 goal by Wednesday afternoon.
Aimone, all things considered, was lucky.
First, he was lucky that he wasn’t too seriously injured.
Second, he was lucky that he has received such an outpouring of support and generosity from the local community.
But how bad does crime have to get in these liberal cities, that local punks would have the audacity to attack and steal from someone who is as beloved as Aimone?
And considering that Chicago has been among the most notorious cities for its soft-on-crime policies, how long will it be before those thugs are back on the street, terrorizing other defenseless citizens?
The policies of the left have tied the hands of the police, rendering the streets less safe for people like Aimone and his fellow Chicago natives.
The fact of the matter is, these liberal cities need to get harder on crime, or an elderly citizen like Aimone might get killed next time.
But, at least Aimone’s fellow Chicago natives have gone out of their way to help the beloved pizza delivery man, stepping up where their own city leaders would not.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
