Chicago mother and son targeted in terrifying daylight robbery, video shows

CHICAGO - In a terrifying Labor Day ordeal, a Chicago mother of two found herself begging for her life while her 10-year-old son ran for safety.

The incident unfolded in broad daylight on the 7300 block of South Wabash in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.

"I got my baby, please don’t hurt me!" 35-year-old Samara Harmon pleaded as she was held at gunpoint. The entire encounter, caught on a Ring camera, shows the robber cocking his weapon twice as Harmon begged for mercy.

"You could hear the gun ready to fire," Harmon recalled. "He said, 'Bi***, open your purse, or I’ll blow your f**ing brains out.'"

Harmon had just returned home from the laundromat with her son, Amari, when the gunman confronted her. The video shows young Amari running for help, his small footsteps pounding the pavement as he searched for someone for nearly 30 minutes.

Still coping with the death of his father, Amari has now been left traumatized by yet another brush with violence.

"He could’ve taken our lives, definitely. He could’ve taken our lives," Amari said.

The gunman made off with $1,700, Harmon’s ID, and other personal items. The money had been her savings to start a new life in Atlanta, away from Chicago's increasing gun violence.

"I love my city, but I'm not about to lose my life to gun violence," Harmon said. "I’m a taxpayer, and I deserve better."

Thinking on her feet, Harmon tricked the robber by shouting that police were nearby.

"There go the police, run!" she yelled. The man fled the scene, jumping into the passenger seat of a waiting 2019 blue Honda Civic.

Although physically unharmed, Harmon and her children are left shattered by the ordeal.

"It’s traumatizing," Harmon said, adding that her sense of safety has been stolen along with her belongings.

Neighbors reported seeing the suspect casing the area before the robbery, even attempting to break into a nearby home.

Chicago police confirm the investigation is ongoing, with detectives from Area One assigned to the case.