Home › Forums › Costa Rica Living Forum › Now I have lived in Costa Rica! Been Robbed at gun point!
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January 4, 2011 at 12:00 am #164271ticorealtorMember
Well we have been here permently for a little over three months. My wife is a Tica and been coming down here for ten years because of many family ties.
After Christmas before New Years, we went to visit a Tia of my wifes in Coranado. We came to the tico house around 5:00 and enjoyed a nice dinner and my wife and her family had some Bailes. At around 8:00 we heard our car alarm go off, we all jumped up and went to the door. As my wife started to open the door I was in front of it my three year old daughter was behind us. Less than a second I had seen a kid with a 9 mil or so pointed at us. He was behind a gate that guarded the house. He said don’t move or he would shoot. I dove back to get my daughter while my wife kicked the door shut and hit the floor. We yelled to my mother in-law to call the police. In less than a couple of minutes we seen a black Nissan Sentra take off. After a couple of minutes we went outside to check out the damage. We had made the biggest mistake of all time and gave them a reason to break in. They ran off with a lap top, Zune, two cell phones and a GPS. We let our guard down and made the grand daddy of all times cardinal sin and that was leaving items in the car!
Now I know this can happen in any major city in the U.S. and it seems as it is happening more and more here in CR. I have countless tales from family and friends here in CR on how the crime is getting worse and more violent!
Anyone here have any stories?January 4, 2011 at 3:28 am #164272waggoner41Member[quote=”ticorealtor”]They ran off with a lap top, Zune, two cell phones and a GPS. We let our guard down and made the grand daddy of all times cardinal sin and that was leaving items in the car![/quote]
None of us are immune to doing dumb things like that. All it takes is wrong place, wrong time to suffer the consequences.
At least no one was hurt (physically).
January 4, 2011 at 3:39 am #164273kakarotoMemberThat stuff happens all the time here. I was just in Kentucky and felt much safer there than anywhere here in CR.
I was amazed to see people leaving their car windows down there.I have been here for 13 years and have got my car stolen, know several people who got held up at gun point etc..
January 4, 2011 at 3:43 am #164274AndrewKeymasterYes! Please do share more stories with us …
Is anybody else out there willing to admit to being as bloody foolish as ‘Ticorealtor’ to leave a whole load of valuables in their parked car?
Like nobody has ever warned anybody about leaving valuables in a car, right?
You were supposedly in the armed forces ‘Ticorealtor’… When I was in the Royal Marine Commandos and a Marine “lost” something because he was foolish enough not to secure it and someone stole it, the Marine who lost it was charged with the loss of property.
When a Marine caught a venereal disease, the Marine who caught the disease was charged because it was a “self inflicted injury”…
Any questions?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comJanuary 4, 2011 at 4:08 am #164275ticorealtorMemberYes,, I had a moment of stupidity and knowing Force Protection and teaching it you would have thought I had it ingrained in me. There is more to this story… moments before we were held up a neighbor of my wifes Tia was also robbed by the same people. The lady was trying to get our attention but the robber told her that if she did he would shoot her too.
I am finding out more and more from the ticos that they are targeted even more than the normal gringos. In fact my brother in law had his car stolen at gun point and then had his head bashed in. In the norm we still feel safe but we will always keep our gaurds up from now on. Follow the normal Force Protection items.
This neighborhood also seems to have a lot of hold ups which leads to believe that there is a inside job.
January 4, 2011 at 4:55 am #164276costaricabillParticipantone of the hotels here in samara has a very simple, yet prophetic sign in the lobby:
“IF YOU DO NOT WANT IT STOLEN, DO NOT LEAVE IT IN YOUR CAR!”January 4, 2011 at 5:47 am #164277wspeed1195MemberI can tell you this.there were 2 nicaraguan blue eyed brothers one was 17, the other 19.they robbed alot of people of their stuff in Hermossa and Jaco.
that was in 2007.I went back in early 2008.the topic of stealing from beach blankets came up,so I ask,”have them nica brothers been busy”?they just kinda chuckled and said they got ma belled.
they apparently had someone reach out and touch them.January 4, 2011 at 11:07 am #164278aguirrewarMemberHappy Holidays:
The police force in Tampa, Florida warns you of leaving your purchases in your car in the parking lot of the Mall in full view but some people don’t get it.
The easiest SCORE for a thief is to watch from a distance while you load your presents in a car and then leave it unattended.
There was a story about a woman walking the parking lot of a Mall with a dog. Innocent looking woman and the dog also but she was looking for the presents left inside the car. She would signal her accomplises and “POOF” your purchases were stolen. All you had left was a broken rear window glass.
These are called SOFT crimes since no weapons are used, you steal with one and it is a 3-5 year Jail sentence if cought, steal without a weapon and you might get probation.
If I were a thief and looked down the road and saw 10 cars, which one do you THINK would catch my eye!! the run down 1980 Toyota or the 2010 one?? Which one is worth my trouble??
Your story could have ended in a different note; from looking at a 9MM to being shot by one.
Live and learn, you lost nothing worth keeping in those circumtances but gained an invaluable experience.
Warren
January 4, 2011 at 12:27 pm #164279aguirrewarMemberJanuary 4, 2011 at 1:07 pm #164280maravillaMembercould that story be TRUE??? Ramsey is a bit of a drama queen, but hey, this is CR and anything can happen here.
Ticorealtor, i am really shocked that after all the warnings you have given people, and the seemingly good advice you’ve dished out about living in costa rica, that you failed to follow your own advice and by not doing so put yourself and your family in danger. i know a half dozen people who lost their valuables because they left them in their car. it’s really hard to be too sympathetic when the warnings about not leaving valuables is broadcast far and wide, not just in CR, but all urban areas. i am glad nobody was hurt.
January 4, 2011 at 1:15 pm #164281costaricafincaParticipantWhen we ‘shop’ in Liberia we leave ‘stuff’ in the vehicle, all the times and have never had a problem.
Since a previous robbery in which the thieves poisoned 3 dogs, we now have 9 dogs that run loose plus alarm systems, and have not had any more attempted break-ins since another attempt was made when there was a party in process with lots of [i]Ticos [/i]attending with weapons in their vehicles and a [i]posse[/i] went out to search the surrounding areas…
We are going this week to pick up the [i]hoja de delincuencia[/i] required to pick up another shotgun now the rules have changed, again.* Sorry, I should have said, [b]ticorealtor[/b] sorry, that you and especially your child had to go through this experience.
January 4, 2011 at 1:32 pm #164282maravillaMemberthere have been a lot of houses in our area that have been hit on the ladrones’ shopping spree. not just the gringo houses have been singled out, it’s the ticos who are getting burglarized as well. they target houses that are unoccupied, secluded or at least hidden from full view of the neighboring houses, and they take the usual things — electrodomesticos, clothing, bedding, and other small items. yesterday the cops said to just shoot them if we find them on our property.
January 4, 2011 at 1:32 pm #164283DavidCMurrayParticipantThis stuff, while clearly unfortunate, does happen everywhere.
I recall years ago that there was a garbage collectors’ strike in New York City. The advice at the time was to gift wrap your trash and leave it in plain sight in your unlocked car. Problem solved.
January 4, 2011 at 1:52 pm #164284aguirrewarMemberA better Mouse Trap:
my wife has a nephew, 20 year old kid that loves soccer and has some friends his age, 19-24
they came back from a MEJENGA, street soccer for some refreshments
SURPRISE!!! out of the 20 that came for a drink, 6 of them belong to the OIJ
and those 6 left 6 guns in the newphew’s room
enought firepower to take out and small Army and the testestore level to match it
small price to pay, $10.00 worth of water and juice compared to an ADT alarm
Warren
January 4, 2011 at 2:00 pm #164285wspeed1195Member[quote=”maravilla”]could that story be TRUE??? Ramsey is a bit of a drama queen, but hey, this is CR and anything can happen here.
Ticorealtor, i am really shocked that after all the warnings you have given people, and the seemingly good advice you’ve dished out about living in costa rica, that you failed to follow your own advice and by not doing so put yourself and your family in danger. i know a half dozen people who lost their valuables because they left them in their car. it’s really hard to be too sympathetic when the warnings about not leaving valuables is broadcast far and wide, not just in CR, but all urban areas. i am glad nobody was hurt.[/quote]how dare you say that about Ramsay!!!??
he’s a media whore,which is drama,crying kicking and screaming,and A sissy to boot!
TicoR don’t want sympathy.by his own admittance he’s A blockhead.I like that feature,it takes character,glad he’s alive to express it. -
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