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East Boston Robbery Victim: Attack Was 'Matter Of Life Or Death'

EAST BOSTON (CBS) – One of the five people robbed in East Boston the last five days said the incident frightened him so much, it was a matter of "life or death."

The man who did not want to be identified told WBZ-TV's Bobby Sisk he was walking through an underpass just before 6 a.m. recently and was caught off guard by two men.

He had his headphones on and didn't hear them approaching until it was too late.

"Somebody just sucker punched me from one side and the other one stood in front of me and was beating me, beating me towards the facial area and I didn't know what it was all about," the victim said.

He told WBZ one of the attackers said "just give me everything you have" and pointed a gun at him after getting pistol-whipped.

"I said (to myself) 'I'm not going to talk to this guy or talk back because it's a matter of a bullet, life or death."

The victim said he emptied his pockets, gave the man his wallet and they ran off.

The gun cracked the victim's forehead three times. The sucker punch damaged his ear and he had to have surgery on a fractured cheekbone.

In all five robberies, the suspects are targeting people walking along the street, taking things like cash, a wallet, and phones. The times ranged from 10:49 p.m. to 11:23 p.m. to 1:20 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

In each robbery there were two or three suspects. In two cases, guns were shown. There were two incidents where the men had bandanas over their faces.

Police have put out an alert to residents and increased patrols in the area.

There have been no arrests.

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