Of all the luck. A 62-year-old man, who uses a motorized wheelchair, won $500 in the lottery last Friday, only to have most of it stolen minutes later by a cold-hearted thief, WTKR reports.
Robert Jones of Newport News, Va., celebrated his good fortune in the Virginia Lottery Pick 3 by giving $50 apiece to the clerks at the store where he cashed the ticket, according to WTKR. He says the would-be robber was also in the store at the time and followed him out.
Next thing Jones knew, the suspect approached him as he was going home and demanded a share as well, he said to the station. When Jones refused, the thief dug his hand into Jones' jacket pocket and snagged the money, he said.
Jones, also identified as Kenneth Ray Jones and Kenneth Jones, Sr., in other local media reports, said force wasn't necessary; the assailant could have asked politely and he would have obliged.
"That's the type of person I am," Jones told WAVY. "But, what he did, he didn't care if I died from it."
Jones, who lost a leg to diabetes and receives dialysis treatments, said he fears that the man will prey on others and needs to be stopped.
"I'm concerned for myself and my neighbors," Jones told the the Daily Press. "We need to get him off the street."
Perhaps not surprisingly, lottery winners can become quick targets.
In New Bedford, Mass., last month, a patron left a convenience store after cashing his ticket and was approached by a man who asked for a cigarette and some money. As the winner reached into his pocket, the thief punched him and grabbed some money in a struggle, South Coast Today reports. The victim said he saw the robber enter the store as he was leaving.