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A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with elder abuse after authorities say he punched a 78-year-old grandfather over free Nutella waffle samples at a supermarket in Burbank, California.
Prosecutors say Derrick Gharabighi, of Burbank, was charged yesterday. He pleaded not guilty in an afternoon court appearance.
According to the alleged victim, Sahak Sahakian, Gharabighi was hoarding free samples of the waffles at the Costco – a low-cost supermarket where shoppers buy products in bulk – 14 miles from Los Angeles.
He told local news station CBS Los Angeles:
He takes two, three of them. Left one. I want to take that one, he catches my hand, I say ‘What are you doing?’
The LA County District Attorney’s office says Gharabighi then punched Sahakian above his left eye, causing bleeding and bruising.
Police say the grandfather was hospitalised with a one-inch cut and swelling above his eye.
Gharabighi is being held on $50,000 bail, and he faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison if convicted of elder abuse, and a second charge of inflicting “great bodily injury” on a person aged over 70.
Contains reporting by the Associated Press.
Facing 11 years!?! They don’t feck about do they? On a side note my 78 year old father does not like being classified as elderly.He thinks that title belongs to those over 90.Id say he’d probably have thumped this guy back.
I worked with a very impressive lady in her 80s in London once. She used to volunteer to take “old folks” on day trips. Some were probably 15 years her junior, but she just didn’t see herself as old. Fair play to her. She had loads of awesome stories of things she got up to in her lifetime. Fabulous lady.
I like that bodily harm to a person ‘over 70′ stipulation. Do we have something similar?
The problems with those laws would become evident when someone like my old fella would get a few whiskeys on him, pick a fight with some 22 year old rugby player knowing the lad couldn’t fight back and kick his ass.The auld boy can be a right c#nt after his second bottle or so…. ;-)
@Jamsey: I like your dad!
I could understand if it was free after eights. I love after eights.
Will he be taking selfies in the prison jacks now?
He’ll be too busy getting his Nutella spread.
@dj.This article had put me in the mood for Nutella.Needless to say that has now passed.
He’s a good looking guy, I think prison will enjoy him and his nutella.
He pleaded nut guilty to punching anutherfella.
That selfie, says it all total w@nker
Every day is Black Friday in the States
why would you do that? some people sometimes forget they’re going to be old some day. this new generation of kids aren’t going to be very nice when we (40 and above) are old. oh and Be nice to your kids, they’ll be picking your retirement home.
Ireland would want to take note of that kind of sentence! Sure you’d be out in less than 10 years for murder here.
11 years?
Bit over the top.
Not condoning what he did by any means but 11 years is disproportionate to the level of violence in this instance. In my opinion.
Sahakian told CBS, “I don’t want nothing to happen, but only the government … [or] the police to teach him that this is bad.”
Generous response.
He deserved 11 years for that w@nky selfie alone.
In fairness the man pushed his hand away from the nutella, a bit of an extreme retaliation,but the old man was wrong in the first to instance
have your say