Young couple accused of series of crimes
Police say a Bay area couple spent their weekend breaking into elderly people's homes, beating them and stealing their cars.
The alleged crime spree started Saturday morning in Bradenton with a breakin at a 92-year-old man's mobile home. Police said the couple, Luke Irons and his girlfriend Chrisanthe Apergis, both 20, assaulted the man and stole his Chevrolet Cavalier.
They then allegedly used the car to drive to Lakeland and battered and burglarized Cora Canale, 85, in her home about 12 hours later.
Police say Irons gained entry into Canale's home by breaking glass on a door while Canale was asleep. Canale said Irons dragged her into the living room where he attacked her.
"Every time I tried to get up he used something, a pillow maybe, and choked me with it," Canale said. "And I couldn't move or do anything. I just didn't get it at first what he was after. He wanted the money. He said, 'Where's the money?"
Irons and Apergis allegedly stole $30 or $40 in cash, some jewelery and Canale's Lincoln Town Car and headed south to Clewiston.
Lakeland police spokesman Jack Gillen said they tried to target more elderly victims there.
"In this case, three times wasn't a charm," Gillen said. "The 74-year-old resident of that home shot the suspect twice in the chest."
Irons was rushed to the hospital and is in critical condition at a south Florida hospital.
Apergis is being held at the Hendry County Jail on charges of burglary, aggravated battery, and attempted home invasion robbery.
Both stolen vehicles were recovered.
And this is why I'm a big fan of law-abiding people having at least one gun in the house, and that goes double for women and senior citizens. These punks deliberately chose old people to prey on and but for one senior having a gun and putting Luke Irons' running lights out, who knows how many others they might have hurt or eventually killed.
I can sympathize with the victim who was forced to shoot the punk however. I was forced to shoot someone before myself and I know what he's going through now. It feels funny. But it feels a lot better than being dead.
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