A local musician says a trio of robbers in Deep Ellum pistol-whipped him and forced him to drive to his home before stealing his car and phone.
Police and security have stepped up their presence in Deep Ellum. The Guardian Angels also patrol on many weekends.
But Pierre Mora says more security is needed.
“I survived it,” said Mora. “And thankfully I survived it so I can warn people.”
Warn people, he says, after a vicious attack and robbery in Deep Ellum.
Mora says he left the popular music venue The Door on Main Street and was walking alone to his car.
“A lot of it was a blur,” he said.
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The next thing he remembers is getting pistol-whipped and punched in the back of the head.
“There was suspect sitting in the passenger seat, two suspects sitting the in the back,” he said. “When I turned around he told me ‘don’t look back.’ He had the gun, you could hear him cock it.”
He said the trio demanded his money, his cell phone and then pointed the gun at him and demanded that he drive them to his house.
He obliged and drove toward his house.
His mind was racing with ideas on how to save himself.
“[I thought] maybe I can speed up and crash the car. They weren’t wearing seat belts,” he said.
He drove 20 minutes to his house.
There’s blood splattered on his front steps.
“As soon as I walked in I slammed the door behind me and locked it,” he said.
Mora says the men drove off in his car and ditched it along Highway 67 and Beltline.
“I look at life completely different now,” he said.
Aggravated assault is up 30-percent in Dallas, according to online records.
Over the years, businesses have stepped up their presence in Deep Ellum. Police have also increase patrols.
The Guardian Angels continue to patrol the neighborhood many weekends.
In 2016, the Deep Ellum Foundation hired extra off-duty officers to patrol on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
With a new lease on life, Mora hopes others will be exercise caution and police step up their presence.
“I don’t want what happened to me to discourage people from going there,” he said. “I just want it to be more of an alert that we need more patrol there.”
Mora says he doesn’t have a description of the suspects. He says they sounded young, perhaps in their early 20s.
Dallas police say they are searching for surveillance video from nearby businesses to help in their investigation.
