SINATRA FRIEND BATTLED MUGGERS.Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer As Frank Sinatra's widow watched in horror, her longtime friend George Schlatter tried to fend off Verb 1. fend off - prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike" deflect, forefend, forfend, head off, avert, stave off, ward off, avoid, debar, obviate four muggers who attacked them in their exclusive Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. neighborhood. The thugs ended up taking $17,000 in jewelry jewelry, personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion. The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. and cash from Sinatra, her son, Robert Marx, and Schlatter and his wife, Jolene, during the attack Tuesday - but not without a struggle on the sidewalk A Microsoft service that was launched in 1997 to provide online arts and entertainment guides on the Web for major cities worldwide. In 1999, Microsoft sold Sidewalk to Ticketmaster, which continued to provide guides, ticketing and other information to the MSN network. of Doheny Road. Even at 68, the 6-foot, 215-pound producer of ``Laugh-In'' and other TV shows proved to be too much for the two muggers, so their two accomplices jumped in. ``He threw a flying karate karate: see martial arts. karate Martial art in which an attacker is disabled by crippling kicks and punches. Emphasis is on concentration of as much of the body's power as possible at the point and instant of impact. kick,'' Schlatter recalled in an interview Friday. ``Fortunately, he needed some more lessons. ``I grabbed his foot and twisted it and flipped him. Then his friend came over and tried to kick me,'' he said. ``They both wound up on the ground.'' Schlatter was not injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. in the attack, but acquaintances of recently widowed Barbara Sinatra said she was shaken by the incident. On Friday, a van from a lock-shop company drove into the estate of the Sinatra home. Marx was hit on the head but not seriously injured The casualty status of a person whose injury may or may not require hospitalization; medical authority does not classify as very seriously injured, seriously injured, or incapacitating illness or injury; and the person can communicate with the next of kin. Also called NSI. See also casualty status. , Schlatter said. ``We were very, very lucky,'' he added. Police were searching for the four men, who fled in a car they believe to be a two-door, new black Honda with paper plates from the Norm Reeves dealership. Detectives focused on trying to track down the car, but the dealership said it was not missing any Hondas and sells more than 1,000 a week. Three of the men were described as African-Americans in their 20s. Their heights ranged from 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet, their weights from 140 to 180 pounds. Three wore dark clothing, with two wearing caps. The fourth man, who drove the getaway car getaway car n the thieves' getaway car → el coche en que huyeron los ladrones getaway car n → voiture prévue pour prendre la fuite , was not described. One mugger mugger: see crocodile. left with a souvenir of the encounter. ``He's going to have some explaining to do to someone in the 'hood about how he got that on his cheek,'' Schlatter said. No weapons were shown during the ordeal, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. police, although Variety columnist Army Archerd Armand "Army" Archerd (b. January 13, 1922 in Bronx, NY) was a gossip columnist for Variety for over fifty years before retiring his "Just for Variety" column in September 2005. reported the muggers threatened to ``spray'' the four victims. Detectives declined to provide details about what was stolen. Schlatter also would not comment, but he said the fight broke out after the muggers demanded ``watches and jewelry.'' Dangerous stroll It all began while the four friends were taking a twilight stroll back to Sinatra's sprawling mansion on North Foothill Road after eating dinner nearby at the Schlatters' home on Robert Lane For the Canadian politician, see . Robert George Lane (born January 15, 1882 in England - died November 17, 1940) was a Canadian amateur football (soccer) player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.. In 1904 he was a member of the Galt F.C. . Just six blocks away, two robberies had occurred June 16 on Sinatra's street. In one, the robbers took $200 worth of property and fled, and in the second, $105 worth of belongings was stolen, according to police crime reports. Still, the four said they were not worried about being mugged. After all, they were in the tony Doheny Estates section of Beverly Hills, one of the most affluent and famous cities in the nation. Schlatter said he doesn't believe the thieves knew they were targeting Frank Sinatra's wife and himself, a renowned producer. ``This is a very affluent area of Beverly Hills,'' Schlatter said. ``We now have to live defensively.'' Detectives also believe it was a random attack. ``We have robberies from time to time,'' said Lt. Al Munoz-Flores of the Beverly Hills Police Department. ``The trend has been that our crime is going down.'' Crime in decline Police said Beverly Hills averages 10 robberies a month, and that the number fell 19 percent between 1996 and 1997. Mayor Les Bronte also believes the attack was isolated. ``Our crime rate is very low. But it should be low. We are a safe community. I walk the streets at night and I don't even have a dog,'' Bronte said. Though he expressed concern for the victims, the mayor to the home of the rich and famous said the high-profile incident is not cause for alarm. Indeed, FBI and state statistics show robberies within the 34,000-population Beverly Hills have declined from five years ago. In 1997, there were 116 robberies reported, down by 22 incidents from 1996. In 1993, there were 281 robberies in the city; 189 in 1994 and 196 in 1995. What's more, a private security firm patrols the neighborhood. Neighbors and city officials reacted with shock about the muggings in the peaceful neighborhood. ``No one saw anything. Not a thing. It's very odd,'' said Kathie Durazo, a personal assistant to a couple that lives where the muggings occurred. ``How can she have been mugged?'' Sidney Katz asked in disbelief. Katz said he walks on Doheny Road almost everyday for exercise and has always felt safe. ``I'm surprised that it happened here.'' Schlatter said he plans to use the attack to help others. He wants to make a video to teach people self-defense and ways to avoid being accosted ac·cost tr.v. ac·cost·ed, ac·cost·ing, ac·costs 1. To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request. 2. To solicit for sex. . ``This experience is happening to more and more people,'' he said, ``so we do have to take this seriously. We do have to focus on education.'' --- Daily News Staff Writer Jin Whang contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): Drawing, Map DRAWING: Beverly Hills Police Department released these sketches of suspects. MAP: Site of robbery |
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