All language subtitles for I.Survived.a.Crime.S01E01

- danger strikes
when you least expect it.

- What are you doing?
- Get that [bleep]!

- It can happen at any time...

- Ooh.

- Anywhere, to anyone.

[tires screeching]

now survivors
will come forward...

- When you have a gun
in your face,

your life flashes
before your eyes.

- To tell their emotional
stories...

- I felt like it was just
us three going against...

- Everything.
- Yeah.

- Taking us back
to the moment of attack

and how they survived.

I'm gio benitez, and this is
"I survived a crime."

- I broke down,
and I started crying,

and I went...

- Turned upside down...
- Beat me and kicked me...

- And my neck was crushed.
- Took cabs everywhere.

- He thought I was
somebody else.

- They knocked out
my front tooth.

- And behind him
was another man.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- every driver has experienced
at least one bad encounter

with an unruly passenger,

which is why many
are installing dashcams

to protect themselves
against false accusations.

Our first survivor's
dashcam video

helped put his attacker
behind bars.

Palm coast, florida.

This driver is on
a seemingly normal ride.

In the back seat
are three passengers, two men,

one of whom has a
seven-year-old son with them.

They are not all visible.

- The driver has placed
a plastic partition

to protect everyone
from the covid-19 virus.

But his passenger
refuses to believe

the driver
put up the barrier himself.

- The back door is open
and beeping.

- The two men in the back
scheme something.

- Then they pounce.

[tires screeching]

- the passenger
in the back seat jumps out

with the terrified
seven-year-old child.

- Ahh! Stop! Ahh!

- The driver pursues
his assailant

but quickly hops back in car
when he sees it rolling.

- Continue on [indistinct].

- Hey, police!

- Meanwhile,
the other passenger

tries to convince bystanders

that they're the ones
being attacked.

But the dashcam
reveals the truth.

- The driver suffers
minor injuries.

Police arrest
36-year-old travis smith,

who is visibly intoxicated.

He is charged with battery,

contributing
to the delinquency of a child,

and burglary
of an occupied conveyance.

The charges are pending,

and the suspect
was released on bail.

Earning a living as a driver
can be dangerous.

The homicide rate for drivers
is about 30 times higher

than the national homicide
average for all workers,

including police officers
and security guards.

Spokane, washington.

Lee allen and his two children
are out on an errand.

- I was gonna run to the store
and grab a pair of work pants.

Max and lexi said they wanted
to ride.

We made a quick stop
out of it.

- But as they leave the store,

the allens are confronted
by this woman.

- My name is lee allen.

This is my son.
- Max.

- This is my daughter.
- Lexi.

- And we survived a crime.

My initial thought
when I saw her was,

I'm not gonna even pay her
any attention.

'cause I know this is our car.

Get your [bleep] ass
out my way!

It started to get more serious
when my dad told me

to start recording.

- Press 911.

- Max, call.

More people started coming
to the car.

We couldn't go anywhere.

- She started yelling,
and it kind of seemed like

it woke up the rest
of the street people.

It almost was like
an invitation

to come join in.

- This man puts
a menacing hand in his pocket.

- I thought maybe
he had a gun.

I don't know if this guy
has a gun,

but I also don't want
to make a move

and one of my kids get hurt.

I'm a business owner.

I've got a big family.

I've got a lot to lose

if I make a wrong decision
in life,

so I always try to stay
on the right side of the law.

- But a new bystander
is on the scene.

- Yeah, I'm at the--actually,

I'm at the intersection
of sprague and...

[inaudible].
Yeah.

I slammed the door on him

and tried to keep
my kids safe and think,

"what's the next-best move?"

listen up.
- Dad.

- [bleep].
Get out of the car.

Get out of the [bleep] car.

- This is not her [bleep] car.

- Don't slam my hand
in a [bleep] door.

- This is not her [bleep] car.

- Dad. Dad.

- Hold this.
- Get out.

- Hello. We need help.
- [sobbing]

- the allens' car
takes a pummeling.

- [sobbing]
oh, dad.

Dad.

Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Oh, my...

- I felt it was just us three
going against...

- Everything.

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Dad.

Dad. Ohh.

- I can't see anything.

They're using bikes
to hit my car.

They're trying to open
my doors.

I've got two kids
in the car with me.

- [inaudible].

- My name is lee, lee allen.

- Lee, are you still there
or did you drive away?

- I drove off,
because they're hitting my car,

and I feel threatened
for my life.

- As they flee,
the allens are being pursued.

I was very scared.

- It's all right, baby.
- I don't want to...

[sobbing]

- can we just get a minute?

- Yeah,
take all the time you need.

- The local city police

initially started dealing
with me.

They immediately wanted proof
of the vehicle's registration,

my license.

They're asking me
if I have weapons.

I'm trying to let them know
we're the victims.

I felt like I was more
or less profiled.

Then the sheriffs came

and told us they would
investigate it.

I felt...Wasn't justice.

I felt that the magnitude
of the situation

wasn't being addressed
appropriately.

So I decided to--
to address it and--

and make people aware myself.

- Lee posts the video,
and it goes viral.

- Back, daddy.
He's behind you.

- People reached out
and knew who

a few of the people were
that were attacking us.

Whatever information they had

that I later relayed
to the police.

- The motorcyclist claims
he followed lee

to make sure the man
on his hood

didn't fall off.

The police don't charge
the motorcyclist.

The woman who started it all

gets a disorderly conduct
charge.

They couldn't find anybody else

that caused damage
to the vehicle.

And that pretty much
was the end of it.

- The allens still struggle
to process the attack.

I grew up with no parents,

and so I've always been
trying to be

the best dad I could be
to my kids.

And it--it's just hard
to think about it.

- When I think of everything
that happened,

it brings back
how scared I was.

- Oh,
I think I handled it well.

We held ourselves
with a lot of composure

and remained calm.

- The allens all agree
that the attack

has brought them even closer.

- I'm truly blessed
that he's my father.

I love him.

I love him to the deepest
in my heart.

- He's an inspiration to me,
actually.

And he keeps the family
together.

Than 1 million
home invasions

in this country every year.

It is the violation
of that very personal space

that can accelerate
the survival instinct.

♪ ♪

it's 3:43 in the morning

at this home
in gwinnett county, georgia.

Inside a local
restaurant manager

is sleeping in one room,
her male housemate in another

when three men, guns drawn,
bust in

and start casing the place.

The house is stacked
to the ceiling

with boxes
and restaurant supplies.

♪ ♪

one [inaudible]
even turns on a light

making it easier
to see the suspects

on the homeowner's high-tech
surveillance cameras.

[line trilling]

- the homeowner wakes up
and calls 911.

[dial tone droning]

but is disconnected.

The homeowner comes out
of the back bedroom

and stares down the barrel
of the gun

pointed at her face.

♪ ♪

[gunshots]

one of the suspects escapes

by running through
a glass door

at the rear of the house.

The other two scramble
to get out the front door.

[gunshots]

as the dust settles,
the terrified homeowner

and her guest take stock
of what just happened.

She gives her now empty gun
to her friend...

[line trilling]

and finally connects
with 911.

- In the end, the two survived
without injuries,

and nothing was stolen.

Police arrive to find
that one of the intruders--

the man in the black wig--
was shot.

He died in the driveway
of the home.

Another suspect,
bernard little,

was recently arrested.

He was charged
with felony murder,

and his trial is pending.

38% of all assaults
take place

during home invasion crimes.

[gunshots]

los angeles, california.

- My name's carl swanson,
and I survived an assault.

- It's just after 6:00 a.M.

Carl swanson
opens his business,

the laundry room.

But his business is plagued
by a big problem,

a bar next door,

whose customers invade
the laundromat.

I've had to call the police,
like,

well over 150 times
in the last 5 years.

And they would go
to our counter

and want to do lines of coke.

Then if we asked them to leave,
then they would want to fight.

Sometimes they would lift
their shirt up,

show us a gun or a knife.

- And on this morning
carl faces yet another threat,

two customers
from the bar next door.

They were actually here for
revenge for three weeks prior,

because I had kicked them out
of the laundromat.

- Carl steps outside.

I tried to lock the door,
and it has an automatic lock.

But the lock wouldn't catch
on the door.

♪ ♪

carl swanson's ongoing feud

with the neighboring bar's
belligerent patrons

has taken a turn for the worse.

The female assailant
unleashes on carl.

She bit my back
and took a chunk

out of my back.

♪ ♪

the fight spills outside,

where a male
and female bystander

try to figure out
what's going on.

Eventually, they realize carl
is under attack.

Together they try to help him,

while the female suspect
beats carl with a broomstick.

- And they tried to stop it.

I was afraid of--
of what was gonna happen.

- Carl is rushed
to the hospital

and is treated
for multiple injuries.

All this was broke.

I had a stitch--
a liquid stitch here.

♪ ♪

and my whole face was, like,
you couldn't even see my eye.

My eye was just, like,
swollen shut.

I had blood everywhere.

- Carl still deals
with lingering health issues

from the attack.

I have several back injuries.

I wake up every morning
in pain.

♪ ♪

- and his assailants
are still on the loose.

- It drives me crazy every day,
because I know--

because they haven't
been caught.

- Despite everything,
carl is staying put.

- I love all of the people
that I work with here.

I would never want to move.

It would help
if all the businesses

could come together
and chip in

and pay for the security here.

Now I keep my doors locked

whenever I go to work
and come in early.

Plus,
I have a very big dog now.

This is buddy right here.

- Carl says his dog buddy
is a silver lining.

It was actually worth
that happening

for me to get the dog.

Good boy.

There we go.

- The cranky old man stereotype
can often elicit laughs.

But what happened
to our next survivor

at the hands
of an irate elderly man

is far from funny.

An unexpected encounter
almost cost him his life.

Las vegas, nevada.

It's 9:10 a.M.

An elderly man walks into
an apartment management office

to complain about
his flooded apartment.

A female office worker
is behind the desk.

Her supervisor is nearby.

The elderly man is irate
and threatens them.

The woman discretely presses
a panic button

beneath her desk
and dials 911.

- The man fires a round.

It rips through a computer.

[gunshot]

- the woman begs for her life.

♪ ♪

- the man allows her to go

but holds her colleague
at gunpoint.

He orders him to stay seated,
then he takes aim.

♪ ♪

nigsberg
is held at gunpoint

by an irate tenant
who is brandishing a gun.

[gunshot]

augh! Ahh!

- Ahh!

- The man doesn't flee.

He takes aim again.

Please. Ohh!

Ow!

[gunshot]

ow!

- Ow!

- Ow! Ow! Ohh!

- Police arrive.

They fire a shot
shattering the glass door.

[glass shattering]

- drop the gun!
Drop it now!

- Drop it.
- Drop it!

- A bullet grazes
93-year-old robert thomas.

He is arrested and charged
with attempted murder

with a deadly weapon,

kidnapping
with a deadly weapon,

discharge of a firearm
within a structure,

burglary with a firearm,

and carrying
a concealed weapon.

A little over
four months later,

he died
of congestive heart failure.

The victim makes
a full recovery.

And eric joins us now.

Eric, thank you so much
for being here.

- You're welcome.
Thank you for having me.

- Eric, this is no doubt
a horrifying situation

that you survived.

Tell us what happened
off camera with robert thomas.

- He came into my office upset
about a situation

in his apartment,
confronted me in my office,

which was a small space,

and I wanted to get him out
into an open space,

'cause I just--
I just knew he was off.

- You mentioned that you saw
a certain look in his eyes.

What was that look?

- It was a look like

he didn't recognize
who I was.

He'd come and pay his rent
every month for five years.

And he just didn't look
the same.

- What was going through
your mind that moment

when you saw that gun?

- Everything, like,
slowed down a little.

It was a big gun.

Well, it looked big to me.

I just knew I had to take
control of the situation

and do what I could.

- And kelly,
your assistant manager,

pushed that panic button,
and she called 911.

- She saved my life
by doing that.

And I tell her that
whenever I see her.

She saved my life.

- We saw that right after
that gunshot,

that's when police arrived.

Do you feel this
could have been worse?

- Yeah, I do.

If kelly didn't push
the panic button,

and if she didn't call 911
when he wasn't looking

and put the phone down

so 911 was able
to hear everything,

if all those things
didn't happen,

I think he would have
shot me again.

- Do you forgive him
for what happened?

- No, I do not.

- This happened
less than a year ago.

How are you doing right now
with your recovery?

- I am fine.

I mean, I go out.

I do two-mile walks.

I don't have a limp anymore.

I'm good.

- You know,
what I think is fascinating

is that you went right back
to work; you didn't hesitate.

- Well, I--I told the owner
of the property

that as soon as I could put
my socks on by myself,

I'll come back to work.

And it took about two months
to get the right sock on.

- You got those socks on.

- Yeah.
- [laughs]

your clip went viral.

How do you feel about people

who watch viral videos
like that

and don't realize there are
real people behind them?

- Reality and fantasy,
they--they intertwine a lot.

And so, you know, it was real.

It was real to me,
and to tell you the truth,

I haven't seen the video.

I have not looked at it,
and I don't want to.

I lived it.

- Eric,
thank goodness you're okay.

Thank you so much
for joining us.

- Thank you for having me.

- So there you have it...
[gunshot]

survival and strength
caught on camera.

I'm gio benitez, and this is
"I survived a crime."

thanks for watching.
Stay safe.