Photo: Baltimore Police Department
Generous, kind-hearted people might feel more inclined than ever to do a good deed now that the holiday season is upon us, but if you live in Baltimore, Maryland or happen to travel through it, make sure that this deed isn’t giving money to beggars through the rolled-down window of your car.
That’s the message from Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, after an incident that cost a Good Samaritan her life. Jacquelyn Smith was in town with her husband, when at an intersection, she spotted a woman holding a baby and a sign that read, “Please help me feed my baby.”
There was a man with her too, but Smith didn’t think too much of it, People Crime reports, citing the actual police report. When the car came to a stop, the woman approached it and Smith rolled down the window to offer her some money. That’s when the man reached in through the window and tried to grab her wallet.
A short scuffle ensued but because Smith wouldn’t let go of the wallet, the man stabbed her in the chest and fled. She died later at the hospital, the report notes.
“Authorities are now searching for the suspects: A black female who is 5 feet 4 inches and appears to be about 20 years old and a black male who is about 6 feet tall, has a goatee and appears to be about 30,” says the publication. “The woman was wearing a brown jacket and was ‘possibly carrying a baby or something wrapped to look like a baby, and holding a cardboard sign stating, ‘Please Help me feed my Baby’.”
In light of this incident, the Mayor stresses that people should be wary of beggars and not expose themselves needlessly, out of the kindness of their heart. “We don’t want people destroying other people’s lives,” Pugh says. “This is unconscionable and as I’ve continued to say, one life lost in this city is one life too many.”
There was a man with her too, but Smith didn’t think too much of it, People Crime reports, citing the actual police report. When the car came to a stop, the woman approached it and Smith rolled down the window to offer her some money. That’s when the man reached in through the window and tried to grab her wallet.
A short scuffle ensued but because Smith wouldn’t let go of the wallet, the man stabbed her in the chest and fled. She died later at the hospital, the report notes.
“Authorities are now searching for the suspects: A black female who is 5 feet 4 inches and appears to be about 20 years old and a black male who is about 6 feet tall, has a goatee and appears to be about 30,” says the publication. “The woman was wearing a brown jacket and was ‘possibly carrying a baby or something wrapped to look like a baby, and holding a cardboard sign stating, ‘Please Help me feed my Baby’.”
In light of this incident, the Mayor stresses that people should be wary of beggars and not expose themselves needlessly, out of the kindness of their heart. “We don’t want people destroying other people’s lives,” Pugh says. “This is unconscionable and as I’ve continued to say, one life lost in this city is one life too many.”
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