911 dispatcher beaten, robbed outside work

DETROIT (WJBK) - She normally answers calls for help but this time it was a 911 dispatcher who needed saving.

The woman was assaulted and robbed when she showed up for work this week at the Detroit Police Fire EMS communication center.

In your city the 911 dispatcher is your link to save your life. The dispatcher cuts response times saving both lives for those calling for help but also helping to protect first responders.

That's what makes this assault even more shocking. This dispatcher got off the bus at the center and activated the gate by swiping her ID card. But as the gate slowly opened, four young men approached her.

She was shoved behind the brick kiosk and beaten. Then she was robbed of cash.

"An innocent victim on her way to work," said James White, assistant police chief, Detroit police. "An obvious robbery--just a really unfortunate set of circumstances."

Investigators are trying to determine why the assault was not detected and how to keep this from happening again. Was this human error? Was someone assigned to watch and simply not watching? They're looking at every aspect right now.

"There's a swipe card access system that worked," White said. "There's a gated area there's also a camera system over there. All those things were working." 

After the assault and robbery the thugs run away, the dispatcher got back up and is seen on video running through the sliding gate into the parking lot to get inside the communication center. Police say who is expected to recover.

Investigators have learned who the four attackers are - now they must find them. Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or Detroit police at (313) 596-5200.

"It appeared that one of them may have been armed," White said. "It is a robbery armed at least implied a weapon."

These four are juveniles according to investigators who say the woman did not know the suspects. It was simply a crime of opportunity. She got off the bus and as she walked to work they walked a distance behind her then attacked.