A panhandler allegedly accosted and violently threatened a woman at a Dallas gas station while she was attempting to fuel up her car.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett was at the Chevron at the intersection of North Fitzhugh Avenue and Highway 75 when a man blocked her from getting gas and demanded money.
She had opened her car door and begun to step out when the person approached and stood directly in front of her car’s gas cap, blocking her way, she told The Dallas Express.
“I need change,” the man demanded.
According to Bennett, she was alone and in the middle of a phone call, but she explained that she had no cash on her. The man continued to stand there, preventing her from getting to the gas tank.
After waiting for him to either say something or to go to someone else for help, she asked, “Sir, could you please move away from the car?”
At that point, the panhandler allegedly became even more aggressive and threatened Bennett with violence, yelling “b**ch, I’m gonna f**king slap you!”
Before the man could get any closer, Bennett jumped in the car, slammed the car door closed, and started driving away. As she went, however, there was a loud bang on the side of the car as the man reportedly began hitting the vehicle.
She went to a nearby gas station and upon exiting her vehicle, a different panhandler began approaching her. Frustrated, she jumped back into her car and drove off again, giving up on gas for the moment.
“It was just terrifying,” she shared, expressing frustration that the city is becoming more dangerous while to her, the city council and the district attorney seemingly do not care.
Bennett explained, “I didn’t call the cops because at that point I just thought, you know, the cops, what are they gonna do? Take an hour to respond to this?”
Bennett grew up in Juarez and El Paso and at 5’2″ and Hispanic, she had to learn to fend for herself. She never thought those rough conditions would follow her to Dallas.
Said Bennett, “The gas station is in council member Ridley’s district, why doesn’t he do something? Does he not care that women are being terrorized on the streets by these panhandlers and vagrants? I hear stories constantly from other women and how they’re scared to go out. Where’s District Attorney John Cruezot on all this?”
A recent poll commissioned by The Dallas Express showed that Dallas residents believe that the top two issues driving people out of Dallas are crime (29.9%) and homelessness/vagrancy (27.1%).
The solutions offered by the city government to reduce homelessness and vagrancy have seemingly had a negligible effect as the problems persist. Additionally, critics suggest that the policies of Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot have led to an increase in crime as his office refuses to prosecute certain offenses.
The Dallas Express reached out to City Councilman Paul Ridley as the incident occurred in District 14, but he refused to respond. This is not the first time people have been threatened by the homeless or vagrants in Ridley’s district, however. A similar instance occurred in July, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Disclosure: Sarah Bennett is a board member of The Dallas Express and the wife of board member and publisher Monty Bennett.
biden’s america and the BLACK agenda
Rightwing stupidity. I can’t wait to vote more Dem’s in !
What the hell are you talking about, you idiot!!
We should not scared all the time. Unfortunately we have to be aware and we are scared sometimes. I read this advise from a policeman recently. Had never thought about a person sitting at n a van next to my car. It’s frightening.
I don’t know if the info will come up.
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It seems as this guy starts blaming Biden and the Black Agenda.
Well I’m black and the first thing on my agenda is you!
Watch what you say people hide behind a monitor and keyboard which sums it to = DEPLORABLE!
What do you mean black agenda. How Bout Trump and the white agenda? No body is better than anyone. How bout God and his agenda to love one another unconditionally?
Exactly, you can easily tell the people are disillusioned by the White Supremacist Doctrine Mindset
Facts sister
This is what happens when people vote Democrats into office.
Oh right let’s storm the capital again since this happened
That is exactly what they hope we will do so they may justify violence on the opposing party. If i were in this position, i would have drenched him in gas, until he removed himself from my presence, especially if i did not have change to give him. Is that not Extortion?
I carry a stun gun i would have zapped him
Idiot!
Oh, right, let’s have another Summer of rioting, and killing.
This is what happens when gentrification goes wrong ..the dope fiens in that area are homeless…hungry n looking for money to buy they next hit…..The rich have moved in to their stomping grounds and now are being looked at as walking atms ….
The rich meaning anyone with a job.
At Fitzhugh and 75? Really?
It would be easier to take you serious if you could spell.
No, this is what happens with rightwing nuts talking stupid and ignorant ! You republican followers have some of the worst politician’s in history. Even some of them, including your senate minority leader knows this. I’ve voted both ways in the past, depending on the agenda, but now since you all have such a nasty agenda ( Cheat, hate and lie), I guess I have no choice but BLUE !
Did your mother have any children who lived? What ab idiot you are!
I voted for neither… the problem in that area is greater than politics
its what’s in peoples hearts these days
that is the problem
I’ll tell you what’s not in these people’s heart… The Holy Spirit! The Anti-Christ has taken over this world, remember, the Devil was once an Angel… js! Don’t be fooled!
Texas will never be blue. If you want blue move to a blue state like California you moron.
Oh it will. As the elderly and uneducated die out, it’s inevitable.
BS. DEms are the party that is easy on crime, and you know it.
Post your BS condones and perpetuates this criminal behavior.
Thanks.
Wtf are you even talking about? Ridley isn’t democrat, he’s nonpartisan. Maybe do some research before making uneducated comments. Oh wait, republicans don’t do that
This is not just democrats, it’s all political party’s. It’s just people in general.
Let’s take a look at what happens when people vote republicans into office, shall we?
Mississippi
Yes, you need change before your attitude gets you killed, son.
This is very scary. Unfortunately most of these panhandlers (homeless) have drug problems. When we hand them money we enable them to continue this lifestyle.
They should be forcibly removed from the streets.
It’s not illegal to be poor.
No it’s not and I didn’t say it was.
It’s illegal to trash the streets and be a public nuisance.
You know the difference.
This is terrible. But come reelection time will people remember these incidents and vote him out of office?
A $10 can of mace is a wonderful thing
The only thing new about this is blaming the DA. Aggressive homeless people aren’t new. As a lifelong Dallas resident- 67 years and counting both I and members of my family have had numerous encounters with aggressive tactics to extort money from us, not all of which were by the homeless, but that’s a story for another time. Over thirty years ago a homeless person grabbed my four year old daughter and held her demanding money from my wife before releasing her. My wife worked in Downtown Dallas at the time, and since it was pre-intermet connectivity she was often required to bring work product to her office at off business hours, she was regularly approached by panhandlers and the homeless – some were very aggressive and she was approached at all hours of the day. Regardless of whether she was moving through a parking garage or parked on the street. Point of the story : the homeless and panhandlers is an old story, Dallas isn’t becoming Juarez, it has always been Juarez and countless other cities in countless countries around the world.Wake up and smell the garbage!
Or better yet lady, get registered and get to the polls and vote. You asked the question where your elected officials were on this… You as a registered voter should know.! Vote!!!!!
As someone with a house in Juarez, the people in Juarez are much more friendly and neighborly than people anywhere in Dallas. The cartel isn’t everywhere, and making it seem like they are just shows that you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.
But it has gotten worse all over the city the past few years. Yes it’s always existed downtown, but even that is worse these days.
Liberal progressive policies lead to decline.
Period.
Abbott promised to get all the criminals off the streets, what happened ?
Unlike Biden who likes to pretend there is no problem? Probably because his mind is on some other planet or so far up Peslosi ‘s arse, he can’t see. Abbott would probably like to educate morons like you, but some things are just not feasible.
Abbott has been in one political office or another for years what has he accomplished ?
DMV, CPS, education, healthcare and the environment have deteriorated. Uvalde, El Paso, and Santa Fe all happened under his watch.
He does admit it could have been worse !
The Biden Regime is responsible for the dramatic increase in crime. The wide open borders feeds the drug habits of these vagrants. The Soros elected DA that ignores any crime below $750.00. Defunding the police, out of control inflation! Green new deal that is destroying our economy. Democrats are completely responsible for this BS, and you want to put THE MARXIST Robert Francis O”Rouke IN THE GOVERNOR MANSION? The guy who eats tacos with a fork and has stated he want to take ours guns, so these criminals meet no resistance. You leftist need to go back to New York and CA. We will not have your BS here in TX.
Good right wing media puppet. You hit all the silly, ignorant talking points.
Democrat DAs happened.
Where he’s always been….in that wheelchair supporting hate and racism. Now if the woman had been trying to get an abortion she probably would hear from him.
Exactly, I wish someone would put a door stop inside his bedroom door and we’d never have to hear from him again.
Not Abbots watch but local authorities and judges. Vote racist organizers out of office.
There is no affirmative action in IQ distribution
Just promising whatever it takes to get elected. Texas has been under Republican control for years with no solutions. Now all of a sudden all the problems are “what happens when liberals, democrats, and minorities are elected”. Give me a break!
Biden’s open borders happened. Abbott has a lot on his plate and is fighting illegals all day and night.
If Abbott can’t even get the illegals at the border under control how do you expect him to eradicate rape like he claims???
Greg Abbott – The right’s favorite tree hugger.
Stop lying, he doesn’t stand and fight for anything.
You are in TX. Buy a gun and use it when threatened.
Don’t trust it the self defense law in Texas is trash you’ll be the county forever before you go to court
Looks like some panhandlers need to get shot
Only in TX would a heartless soul say such a thing!!
Well, it seems to have worked with the Somali pirates…notice no more pirates in the news…because they started putting security on board ships and shot a few.
BTW…self defense laws are pretty good here.
When the man blocked her from gassing her car that was a physical threat and saying he would slap her is another. A woman has disparity of force when a man threatens her and justifies use of a gun…just saying.
Yeah That’s The Lie She Tells I Don’t Believe Her It’s Obvious That She Has Experience With The Police How Else Would She Know The Response Times Dont Get Me Wrong I Am Undersiege By Panhandlers And Yes It Sucks But Have Never Really Come Across Agression Perhaps She Was The Intigator In All Of This She Comes Off As The Little Perfect Angel Who Can Do No Wrong But We Are So Quick To Cufcify I Bet If The Person Telling This Story Was A Black Male Not One Of You Be Commenting Right Now
Just don’t shoot the gas pump 💥
You wanna see homelessness? Come to pleasant grove. I have never seen it this bad. Our city government is a joke. Crime, homeless people and the overall condition of the city is deplorable. As soon as I retire I’m gone.
I grew up in the Grove (Grove Rat) and graduated from Spruce High School in 1975. Most of my friends to this day are from high school. But trust me … will never drive through the Grove when it is dark. It is not the community I remember.
I’ve had it with the gas station panhandlers. As soon as they start to approach me I strongly warn them to back off if they don’t want a broken nose. But unlike Ms. Bennett, I am a male over six feet tall who can look and be intimidating. I worry quite a bit for the precious women and children in my world for what the world is becoming. (I also have handguns but am generally too lazy to carry. Lately, I’ve begun to think I need to get more diligent in this area.)
They see me and they see an easy target. I just don’t make eye contact and walk by them, ignoring their request.
Once I had a young black man in some expensive looking Air Jordan’s asking me for a dollar, which I was assuming was for a blunt. He asked maybe 2 times but I literally had tuned him out completely, and then the last time he goes, “You f’ing deaf or something”. Well, I heard that. Getting in my car I scowled at him saying, “I don’t have to say sh1t to you.”
Here he comes. I casually get in my car and lock the doors. Unfortunately I lived on the connecting street to the 7-11 and he walked into the street watching to where I was going to park. Obviously I circled the block and then he was gone and I could park.
Multiple occasions in my car with windows down in Lakewood or East Dallas areas one or several young black males will see me and stick their head nearly into my window and say something aggressively to me like, “What you doin in my neighborhood??” or just make some sort loud noise meant to scare me or something. I keep pepper spray in the car now.
Never had a white or latino person do this to me, but yeah, in general I wish they were detained and put in some abandoned old factory looking buildings and made to stay there. I catch myself groaning when one is in the middle of an intersection that I’d previously never saw one at before. Just shows me that it’s spreading..
That’s A Freaking Straight Up Lie
Disappointed with this “directional” reporting. I question whether the Bennett’s quote blaming the councilperson for area crime was lead or even real. Most people don’t even know their councilperson, let alone blame them for the uptick in crime. They would usually look to the police or mayor, but this publication has a history of pointing out crime by a councilperson’s service area. Bennett’s quote was too on target in helping what seems to be one of this paper’s missions.
Sounds like Dallas ladies need to carry Mace, Taser, or firearm.
This is not a Republican or Democrat, issue it’s a local issue, I travel all over the country and Texas is the only State that doesn’t give a care about homeless people, I remember when they were closed to downtown, and what did they do, they moved all of them, out on I 20 and I 635,these areas are tent city, I am reading some of this comment and I know a lot of them have never talked with this homeless people, I have feed them on a regular basis and I always talk with them, a lot of them is are veterans out there, and some just don’t have families who would take them in because of a drug problem, so let’s not judge no one and do are job and put the right person in city council to get this done.
Wow, with a headline like that, I bet you’re going to win the Pulitzer Prize!
alot of finger pointing but no real solutions, red and blue are both the same people in America, instead of negativity DO something positive and help find a solution keyboard warriors smh
This is so scary/I used to live in Dallas but now moved to Corinth but it is scary because imagine us being alone and these people are all drugged up not thinking correctly they can do the unthinkable!!! Down the street from where I used to live! All you would see is prostitution all kinds of females walking as if it’s their street! No one would say anything or do anything. It’s scary because I have kids I couldn’t even go outside with my kids because all you see is these women wearing nothing but g strings and small clothing
I just feel all businesses should be reliable for a security office on property to veer panhandlers away,, Cause eventually their going to run up on the wrong person..
This is because the Democrats do not care about crime. They do not care about citizens. It’s why they defunded the police and why they passed dangerous laws like allowing someone to steal $950 of merchandise without being charged. . Now they allow criminals to create anarchy while the democrats create hate and lies and dissension . Hoping their ignorant base will start another insurrection and anarchy like the summer of 2020 just in time again for the election
No, wait until January 6.
OMGosh that’s scary as Hell!! Let me guess the DA is a slithering moronic liberal!!
Homeless and vagrants have more rights than you do in this city.
Remember that next time you vote.
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If I owned a filling station I would set in the parking lot with a shot gun full of rock salt. Papaw kept the kids out of his pumpkin patch that way.
That’s sad but like always nothing will change and will be swept under the rug.
All I know if someone approached me and did that Boy that would be an ugly scene I work to hard for my money and any little thing I have not going to be bullied or threatened by anyone ever!!!!
Slap back
This happened to me in a similar situation in same area awhile back, they need to put a stop to this, someday it will go to far and someone’s gonna get hurt. It’s pitiful that this is allowed to continue
Women need to start carrying weapons and protection more these days..
That’s a story that I read was true and I started feeling the thrill reading this,omg. Im mad cause it was real though.
If you dems are so smart what happened to san fran and Seattle
Probably should have led with this disclosure:
Sarah Bennett is a board member of The Dallas Express and the wife of board member and publisher Monty Bennett.
Ship them to California. I hear tucks are cheap going that way.
The governor has shown the solution. Put all the homeless and vagrants on a bus and drop them off in Oklahoma. Oh so you cannot do that because they are U.S. citizens. Then how about providing facilities for them like when you build stadiums for billionaires.
It doesn’t hurt my feelings to see this repel immigration to our state. Dallas could use a reduction in numbers.
I also am afraid to pump gas anywhere. I usually wait for my husband to take care of this. I might have to carry my mace with me at all times. This have and are getting much worse. We need to stop voting for the people who allow this to continue.
Ok.. This sounds more like an made-up anecdote than real news. I know the problem is real, but did she really faced two panhandlers in a row, and when given the opportunity to tell what happened, she went straight to politics?? smh
this so-called paper is a complete and total disgrace. a fraud on the community.
Doesn’t notify the authorities yet blames the authorities for not doing anything.
Unfortunately, one of these panhandlers will confront a concealed permit carrier and that will end in tragedy. Many elected officials are the root of our criminal problems NOT THE REMEDY.
Two things come to mind with this article. 1) Aggressive panhandling cannot be tolerated and it is the responsibility of both the city and the business owners to curtail this. By business owners’ responsibility, I mean that they need to be the ones to call the police. They will still be there “in an hour” when the cops show up, and the panhandler is committing criminal trespass if they have been asked to leave the property. Much easier for a business owner to prove their case given they own the security cameras. Of course, the prosecutor has to prosecute and lock people up or there is no point calling anyone… ever.
2) “According to Bennett, she was alone and in the middle of a phone call, but she explained that she had no cash on her…” Which is it? She was pumping gas or in the middle of a phone call? Probably both, but that’s part of the problem. She was on her phone driving to the gas station, on her phone getting fuel, and probably still on the phone for the rest of the story. So she’s a distracted person, but she also allegedly had street smarts and knew how to “fend for herself” in “rough conditions”. There is one good reason for a woman alone to be on a phone call while fueling her vehicle, and that’s so she can tell the person on the other end of the line where she is and that some tall crazy homeless-looking white dude is being creepy. Seems that wasn’t the case here though. Life is about choices. In this case maybe she should have used her free hand to hold some pepper spray rather than a cell phone. IJS.
Dang man, yall turn every single thing political, makes no sense. That’s not how Texas operates. If a panhandler is outta line with you, then you need to…..man nevermind, you’ll figure it out. Panhandlers been around and…..nevermind again! People too scary these days, over nothing at that! Next thing you know, it’ll be climate change when Texas has 100+ days of 100+ degree weather. Nevermind, that’s already happened! Remind me, why are yall here if you are not here to enjoy this great state for it’s culture, values, and way of living? Makes no sense!
Homeless get near me and start something that will be a bad thing for that person these people are dangerous they carry make shift weapons . You not give them money they spit on your car hit your car yell dirty words .
We need camera to protect us