Pregnant beggar with boy drives off in a Mercedes Benz

[katietornado]

Link

This is going around my facebook like it's news.

The comments consist of people who apparently know everything about public assistance and the cost of used Mercedes and apartments, and I am just imagining all of their brains boiling as they furiously spew their ignorance.




SAN DIEGO - An outraged viewer contacted KGTV in San Diego after she watched a pregnant woman and a boy beg for money in a shopping center and then drive away in a Mercedes Benz.

RELATED: Is this the Benz beggar? Minus the Benz? (VIDEO)

Melissa Smith took pictures of the beggar, the boy and the Benz.

Smith said she saw the pregnant panhandler and the boy, who might have been the woman's son, at Eastlake Village Center in Chula Vista, California every weekend for two months. She said the woman's husband or boyfriend would join them on the weekends.

Smith said the woman held a cardboard sign that said "please help" on the front.

"Lots of people gave them money,” Smith said. “Probably five people in five minutes gave them money."

Smith said she was getting gas when she saw the couple at the usual spot in the plaza.

"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’."

Smith said she stopped pumping gas, got into her own car and drove away.

"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 said she took pictures on the car and license plate and watched them drive to another shopping plaza on Bonita Road.

"They drive down to the other McDonald’s,” Smith said. “She sits there with the sign. He goes and parks the Mercedes. Not less than five minutes here she is getting money from all these people."

Smith took additional pictures of the woman and little boy asking for money at the new location.

"I'm going to take these photos so I can show my friends so they don't give them their money. They don't need it. They are driving a Benz," said Smith.

She said the woman saw her taking the pictures and started yelling at Smith to stop.

KGTV ran the license plate number and it came back registered to a woman with an Escondido apartment complex address.

Residents said it costs $2,500 a month to live at the complex.

They also said the people KGTV was looking for had recently moved, and a forwarding address could not be obtained.

Smith said she wants people to know about this couple before they find a new place to panhandle with the boy, whom she believes may be their son.

"He's running in a parking lot instead of a park,” Smith said. “What kind of parent uses their child for monetary gain?"

Police said the woman has not been reported by anyone else since Smith’s run-in.

[heyjude]

Because everyone knows, the way to get rich is to pan handle.

Mmmmm hmmm.

[iammalcolmx]

The title of this post has me LMAO!! So does the article. I have been on here too long.

[mbcdefg]

The boy parked the car?

[msmerymac]

Okay? Good for you for stopping 3 whole people from panhandling?

Does Escondido give out panhandling licenses only to people who are truly indigent or something? No? Then no law was broken, except the seatbelt thing.

[ttt]

Nov 12, 2014 12:06:06 GMT -5 katietornado said:

"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."

LOLOLOLOLOL Okay. Sure. Just like this




Also you guys, when I google imaged "people laughing counting money rich" THIS LINK WAS THE SIXTH RESULT!! www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-panhandling-boy-driving-benz-article-1.2006895

[katietornado]

Jesus Christ, and there's a followup. You'd think that after publishing the "article" above, this new station would be too ashamed to ever publish anything again.

Someone spotted (possibly) this woman grocery shopping one night, so the news team rushed out to confront her. Followed them to their car (not a Mercedes) like they were on Dateline.

[ttt]

Can we talk about this?

KGTV ran the license plate number and it came back registered to a woman with an Escondido apartment complex address.


Television stations are allowed to run random people's license plate numbers??

[iammalcolmx]

Nov 12, 2014 12:20:07 GMT -5 katietornado said:

Jesus Christ, and there's a followup. You'd think that after publishing the "article" above, this new station would be too ashamed to ever publish anything again.

Someone spotted (possibly) this woman grocery shopping one night, so the news team rushed out to confront her. Followed them to their car (not a Mercedes) like they were on Dateline.

WHERE IS THIS FOLLOWUP??

[ijack]

Nov 12, 2014 12:20:38 GMT -5 @mx said:

I just can't get outraged about this even if it is all true. Odds are good that most people begging are in need in one way or another. If you don't like the odds don't give them your money.

Yes!! I can guarantee that every person out there panhandling isn't a scammer. So what if a couple are?

[katietornado]

Nov 12, 2014 12:33:51 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Nov 12, 2014 12:20:07 GMT -5 katietornado said:

Jesus Christ, and there's a followup. You'd think that after publishing the "article" above, this new station would be too ashamed to ever publish anything again.

Someone spotted (possibly) this woman grocery shopping one night, so the news team rushed out to confront her. Followed them to their car (not a Mercedes) like they were on Dateline.

WHERE IS THIS FOLLOWUP??

Actual title of this hard hitting journalism:

"Is This the Benz Beggar?  Minus the Benz?"

[cville]

Nov 12, 2014 12:40:21 GMT -5 katietornado said:

Nov 12, 2014 12:33:51 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

WHERE IS THIS FOLLOWUP??

Actual title of this hard hitting journalism:

"Is This the Benz Beggar?  Minus the Benz?"

What the everloving fuck is wrong with people?

[heyjude]

San Diego.

[laurenpetro]

Nov 12, 2014 12:44:53 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Nov 12, 2014 12:20:07 GMT -5 katietornado said:

Jesus Christ, and there's a followup. You'd think that after publishing the "article" above, this new station would be too ashamed to ever publish anything again.

Someone spotted (possibly) this woman grocery shopping one night, so the news team rushed out to confront her. Followed them to their car (not a Mercedes) like they were on Dateline.

I heard that her cart contained a birthday sheet cake and two packages of Oreos.  Not store-brand chocolate sandwich cookies my friends, BRAND NAME OREOS.

Did she have a coupon at least???!?!?!!!!

[Alyssa]

She's been spotted again, now holding her newborn.



www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2832002/Mercedes-Benz-beggar-confronted-panhandling-time-carrying-newborn-child-DENIED-owning-luxury-car.html

[memenee]

Nov 12, 2014 13:21:57 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

Nov 12, 2014 12:44:53 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

I heard that her cart contained a birthday sheet cake and two packages of Oreos.  Not store-brand chocolate sandwich cookies my friends, BRAND NAME OREOS.

At least there were no skittles.

Did you see the follow up article? I think the kid has Skittles in the picture. Seriously.

[rella1098]

While I don't think this is news worthy, I have wondered if people asking/begging for money are truly homeless. Sure the nicer clothes than what I think a homeless person would wear make me question, I know that they can be donated too... & I have always wondered why there seems to be more out during the holidays.

Sadly, stories like that will make people more hesitant to donate & it will hurt the ones that might truly need anything they can get.

[downtoearth]

Nov 13, 2014 6:27:03 GMT -5 memenee said:

Nov 12, 2014 13:21:57 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

At least there were no skittles.

Did you see the follow up article? I think the kid has Skittles in the picture. Seriously.

Yeah, the sign she was holding when first photographed was on the back of a skittles box.

But seriously, an older model E320 Mercedes could be as cheap as $3k from my one car trader search.  Or maybe they inherited the car from an older family member and it cost them nothing.  No seat belt for your kid is wrong, but in general, leave them the-F alone.

Oh and the follow-up article also says they got into a minivan - so I'm guessing they had to sell their car after this craziness. Just don't give them money if you think they are "cheating" the panhandler world and mind your own business.

[humpty]

Couldn't this be a case of these people used to live in that complex and had a nice car and then shit happened and they lost their jobs and had to move and all they had left was that car? The first article says "They also said the people KGTV was looking for had recently moved, and a forwarding address could not be obtained." It makes sense since they were seen in a minivan after the fact.

[katietornado]

Not everyone who panhandles is homeless. Her sign just says "please help," rather than "homeless."

I just love the outrage. If you don't want to give people money, then don't do it. But this is far...FAR...from newsworthy.

[heyjude]

Nov 13, 2014 7:02:34 GMT -5 rella1098 said:

While I don't think this is news worthy, I have wondered if people asking/begging for money are truly homeless. Sure the nicer clothes than what I think a homeless person would wear make me question, I know that they can be donated too... & I have always wondered why there seems to be more out during the holidays.

Sadly, stories like that will make people more hesitant to donate & it will hurt the ones that might truly need anything they can get.

I think you have to ask yourself why would anyone, anyone beg on the street if they didn't truly need it?

[ECB]

Nov 12, 2014 18:00:36 GMT -5 Alyssa said:

She's been spotted again, now holding her newborn.



www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2832002/Mercedes-Benz-beggar-confronted-panhandling-time-carrying-newborn-child-DENIED-owning-luxury-car.html

That's a newborn?? 

Anyhow - I can't get it up for this.  Give, don't give.  why does it matter that ONE "beggar" has a Benz?