Man in Wheelchair Robbed

June 4, 2004
Ohio News Network

A disabled man was thrown from his wheelchair and robbed for his disability check overnight in the West End. The neighborhood says it's becoming a trend: Criminals on the prowl at the start of each month when they know welfare, disability, and other checks are issued.

Criminals who do this are preying on the weak. Early Wednesday morning in the West End that was something folks simply wouldn't stand for. They know their neighborhood has a bad name but this time, they are proud to say they defended a helpless victim and stood up to crime.

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J.C Taylor---or "Stick man"---has MS and needs his wheelchair to get around. He was in it last night, when cashing his disability check at the Jet-in Market on the West-End. On his way out, police say Taylor met 19-year-old Patrick Blanchard and 22 year old Darryl Garfield.

Witnesses said, "They yanked him out of his wheel-chair and searched him and pet him down."

"I see him out of his chair legs shaking like he was having a seizure."

Police say the 2 men stole 350 dollars from Taylor--every penny of his disability check. But witnesses in the neighborhood couldn't bare to watch.

One witness said, "I was like uh-hu this isn't right."

The first to help was Taylor's good friend Guy Williams. Police say the suspects attacked him too. He's in the hospital having surgery on his leg.

Guy's mother Elsie Harrison, "He helps everybody."

And West-enders say Williams isn't the only good guy around.

"There's a lot of good humans here," said Patrice Seahking.

They're just usually overshadowed by the bad. But last night it looks like the good guys came out on top.

"Everybody came together," said another witness.

He and others chased the suspects down---and gave police a description that led to their arrests.

"The same neighborhood they shoot down I'm gonna give 'em a thumbs up...because they did their thing, they did their thing. For once, I was proud," said the witness.