A gym owner on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, is thankful to be alive after he was approached by three men who attempted to rob him on Tuesday. Unfortunately for them, they got more than they bargained for.
Part of the attempted robbery was caught on camera. Three masked men were seen exiting a black Cadillac.
Rocco DiStefano was out walking his dog outside of his gym, The Lab Sunset, when the men rushed him, one with a gun in hand, demanding that he take off his Rolex.
“I turned around, and I’m looking down the barrel of the pistol,” DiStefano said. “They’re yelling, ‘Take it off, take it off,’ and at this point, I try to run and I realize I’m running into a corner. The only thing I can think to take off, I’m looking at my Rolex. So I take off my Rolex and I clasp it in my hands and I tell them ‘You’re going to have to take it from me.’”
The men began attacking the 29-year-old as he was still holding on to his dog’s leash.
A West Hollywood gym owner had quite the scare when three masked suspects attacked him and tried to steal his Rolex watch.
KNX News’ @KNXmargaret spoke to the victim, Rocco DiStefano, about what happened Tuesday. https://t.co/ABMEBMhp4n
— KNX News 97.1 FM (@knxnews) March 1, 2024
The masked men thought that DiStefano would be an easy target. What they were unaware of was that their victim was an amateur boxer and football player.
“I was able to tackle the guy in the gray hoodie that’s hitting me from behind into the person with the gun, and when I hit him with the gun, both of them fell down,” DiStefano recalled.
He reported that as the incident unfolded, he saw his life flash before his eyes. DiStefano suffered cuts and bruises on his head but said that he was thankful to be alive.
“It was just a rush of adrenaline, and I just saw my life flash before my eyes, and it’s making me very grateful to be alive,” he said.
He also said that the incident has made him more aware of the kind of jewelry he wears.
DiStefano’s 4-year-old dog, Hercules, was unharmed during the altercation.
According to deputies, there was another robbery that occurred in similarity just 15 minutes prior. Authorities are looking for the three men, along with their driver.
