Wannabe Mugger Dies After Two Men He Tried To Rob With Fake Gun Used Martial Arts To Flip The Script On Him

A wannabe mugger, who was already on parole for attempted robbery, paid a deadly price last Sunday; learning the hard way that he’d picked the wrong people to target.

Robbery Doesn’t Go As Planned

WABC-TV reported that Robert Compton, 33, died last Sunday when the two men he tried to rob used martial arts to turn the tables on him.

Sources told The New York Daily News that Compton approached the men around 1:55 a.m. near Pacific Avenue and St. Albans Place in the Eltingville neighborhood on Staten Island in New York City. Holding a fake gun, Compton allegedly told the men to “give me all your s—t.”

Unfortunately for Compton, however, that’s where things quickly went downhill for him. 

One of the intended victims grabbed the fake gun, and they both began to fight back against Compton. One of them managed to get behind Compton and pull him to the ground by the neck while the other called the police. At some point during the struggle, Compton fell unconscious.

“He robbed us at gunpoint,” one of the men told officers when they arrived at the scene. 

Officers performed CPR on Compton, and he was rushed to Staten Island University Hospital North, where he was ultimately declared dead. Both of his intended victims were also taken to the aforementioned hospital to get their injuries, described as minor, treated.

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Compton’s Family Responds

Compton had a lengthy criminal history that included grand larceny and assaulting a police officer, among other charges. New York City police and the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office are investigating how Compton ended up dead in this attempted robbery, and his family want answers as well.

“It sounds like it should be investigated a lot more,” said his cousin George Pirola. “So, two guys, why didn’t they just hold him down, call 911. That’s that. I’m experienced in martial arts; my wife is too, and you know when you have somebody passed out, and you let it go at that point.”

Perhaps he shouldn’t have been trying to rob people in the rest place! 

Pirola went on to say that “it didn’t sound right to me. You know, two martial arts guys, from what I read, knocked the gun out of his hand and then choked him out. But they choked him to death. Basically they killed the kid after they had him choked out.”

As for Compton’s criminal history, Pirola tried to brush it off by saying that “he’s got some scrapes, but nothing like that. I couldn’t imagine him trying to do something like that.”

Find out more about what Compton’s family is saying in the video below.

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Other Side Of The Story

The two intended victims have their defenders as well, however. 

“I’ve known him since he was a little boy,” Richard Vitale said of one of the men. “He’s a stand-up guy. I heard a rumor that he took karate. He’s outgoing, he has a lot of friends. He gets along with everybody. He’d be the last person I would think would be connected to this.”

Vitale, actually a neighbor of one of the men, added that he thinks his friend was simply in the “wrong place” at the “wrong time.”

Attorney Louis Gelormino, who is representing the two intended victims, said that they were “clearly acting in self defense.”

“Our clients, two hard working young men, were the victims of a terrifying armed robbery by a career criminal,” Gelormino asserted. “We are grateful that the District Attorney’s Office and the NYPD conducted a complete and thorough investigation of this matter. Our prayers go out to the family of the deceased.”

While the police should investigate this incident just as they should any other death, it seems like this is a case of instant justice and karma. If Compton didn’t want to lose his life, he shouldn’t have been trying to rob people in the first place.