Teen arrested for allegedly ripping 5-year-old's gold chain from his neck
A South L.A. teenager is in custody for allegedly ripping a gold chain off the neck of a 5-year-old boy, authorities said today.
German Palma, 18, was arrested on suspicion of felony robbery and is being held at the Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Officers arrested Palma at his home Tuesday after a tipster identified him from surveillance videos that captured the Jan. 4 crime on the 5300 block of South Main Street, police said.
In the video, the child is seen standing on a sidewalk outside a restaurant, where he and his family had just eaten, when a man rides by on a blue mountain bike. The man yanks the gold chain off the child’s neck with enough force to lift the boy off his feet and drag him along the sidewalk until the chain breaks and the man flees.
Palma is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 11.
-- Seema Mehta
Most crime takes place unpunished. This one is lucky. Look around us you will notice nobody cares anymore. Those guys know law enforcement is interest in big crime and not the petty crime. Cops do not respond to car break-in, illegal trespassing, shop lifting, jaywalking, running red lights, not stopping for pedestrian, illegal U-turn, driving without license, car merging in freeway ignoring red light....endless. I see this everyday.
Posted by: KK | January 29, 2010 at 01:37 PM
In this day and age
If you have wealth
Dont flant it!
Posted by: LA Tax Payer | January 29, 2010 at 01:41 PM
Parents! Parents! Parents! We learn everything by example mostly from our parents.
Posted by: M.B. | January 29, 2010 at 01:42 PM
They should publicly humiliate this guy, that'll be a real punishment. Let the whole community know who this guy is and what he's done so any other stupid kid that thinks of doing this won't put him in solitarie confinement until releast. Simple. Case Closed!
But NO the "system" will put this kid in jail with other criminals, let him learn more crimial knowelged from other inmates, be out in a month and go from pulling chains to killing someone and taking there chains. That's your system at work people.
Posted by: Frank | January 29, 2010 at 02:09 PM
German Palma is an idiot! He's lucky the chain did not cuase any severe damage or decapitate the kid. Corporal Punishment is in order for this young punk, he probably needs more than that.
Posted by: Chuchdawg | January 29, 2010 at 02:26 PM
So glad they were able to catch this creep. If they didn't, he would have just continued on to bigger crimes. I am also really, really glad he's over 18. Can you imagine having a felony under your belt when you're just starting out in life? He has no idea what damage he's done to his life.
Posted by: nativecalif | January 29, 2010 at 03:27 PM
Big bully law of the jungle predator punks like Palma belong in prison until they're too old run their anti-social game. The sooner this stupid thug racks up all three strikes- the safer our streets will be.
Hats off to the L.A.P.D. for putting this animal in a cage where he belongs.
Posted by: Jim Q. Citizen | January 29, 2010 at 03:59 PM
my favorite example of insta-karma took place on the subway in Boston. A proper young woman was seated while a big guy stood in front of her ready to get off at the next stop. As soon as the doors opened he reached out and yanked a slim gold chain from her neck. Instinctively, and just as he vaulted onto the platform, she stood, extended her arm and snapped a fat gold chain from his neck. she stood in the aisle holding the heavy jewelry aloft, triumphant: "he got a piece of s*it!" I'll never forget his expression.
Posted by: Tara | January 30, 2010 at 10:42 PM