A woman was pistol whipped and robbed in broad daylight in Westgate Shopping Center's parking lot.
Carrie Petrek works at Earth Fare. She said she was taking a break outside when three men came up to her and demanded she give them her car.
At first, she said she thought it was a joke, but they hit her in the face with a gun and she immediately handed over the keys and ran inside.
"He had the gun in his left hand, my shirt in the right, and smacked me in the face with the gun," Petrek said.
She said the punch busted her lip, but she was fine.
"I had bleeding down my arm, all over my shirt, my face," she said.
Her manager called 911. Petrek told newsnet5.com she never expected something like this would happen in a place like Westgate Mall.
"People like this should not be on the streets," she said.
Fairview police found her car using OnStar to track it down, but Police Chief Erich Upperman said they're still searching for the men who ditched it.
"All three light skin black males, believed to be in their late teens," Upperman said.
Upperman said he believed the three were connected to at least four other crimes in the area, so they're working with several departments on the investigation.
Police crime is up at Westgate Mall, but mainly shoplifting arrests.
Upperman said this crime could be gang-related. He said he's confident they'll track the three men down.
"It is shocking, but we are taking measures to deter and apprehend, and I mean, I would still send my kid up there," Upperman said.
