A former model turned TV star was knocked to the ground and mugged by a group of men in Beverly Hills – and is now warning others about the dangers of the high-end area.
Camille Anderson, 47, was walking with a friend between restaurants in the ritzy Los Angeles enclave on Saturday night when she was attacked.
Speaking with KTLA, Anderson, known for hosting TV series ‘Selling Mega Mansions’, said two men quickly approached before one of them lunged at her.
The 1998 Miss Austin USA winner said: ‘I could see someone in the alleyway, I didn’t think much of it and it happened so quickly, they lunged at me and tried to take my purse.
‘I tensed up, it was just my natural reaction and because they didn’t get my purse on the first attempt the person slammed me to the ground,’ she said.
Anderson said all she could do in that moment was scream.
The two assailants snatched her purse and quickly clambered into a getaway car, where a third man was waiting.
The suspects sped off while bystanders called 911.
Anderson is speaking out about her horrific ordeal in the hopes of raising awareness about the issue of crime in the city, where riots and protests recently broke out over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Anderson was left with cuts and bruises to her upper torso and her legs from the attack, but said she is grateful she wasn’t more seriously injured.
She added: ‘Luckily, I’m gonna heal. I’ll be okay, I just think it’s important to talk about is so people aware.’
Thankfully, her purse was returned to her after police caught up with the suspected assailants and found it in their getaway car.
The suspects have since been identified as Vlad Oganisyan, 23, Razmik Papikyan, 25, and Grigoryan Vahagn, 45, according to the outlet. They were released on bond.
Anderson, who also appeared in 2005’s ‘Wedding Crashers’, has questioned whether it was a crime of opportunity or if the suspects were watching her.
She added: ‘I do think they possibly had a lookout, whether they were across the street or near the restaurant where we dined.
‘Maybe someone kept an eye on us. I don’t think it was about me in particular, but just the fact that I had a nice purse on and a watch.’
In a post to her Instagram account on Wednesday, she urged anyone in the area to be on alert and not to carry luxury handbags, or wear flashy jewelry.
Anderson said: ‘I can’t believe I am about to say this, I was mugged in Beverly Hills over the weekend.
‘Yes, mugged. The whole thing. I was thrown to the ground very forcefully, like body slammed into the ground.
‘There was several men, grown adult men that did this. I just want to get this message out there to take safety so seriously in Los Angeles.
‘It’s a really big problem, I’ve now been mugged in Beverly Hills, that’s so sad. I’ve been here for a long time in this city, I love it so much and it’s just really changed.
‘We have an amazing new DA that takes this very seriously and very tough on crime, hopefully a lot tougher.’
Anderson also expressed her gratitude to the Beverly Hills Police Department who she praised for doing a ‘phenomenal job’ in finding the suspects.
She added: ‘I’m thankful that I wasn’t hurt badly, I’m just scratched up. I have all of these scratches everywhere and my knee is banged up.
‘I just wanna put this out there, don’t carry any designer bags with logos. Don’t wear any nice watches, it definitely attracts these criminals. Be careful out there.’
Recent crime figures for Beverly Hills, seen by the Daily Mail, indicate that crime is down across the historic district.
Figures up until June of this year reveal there has been 373 incidents of larceny and theft, a decrease of 27.3 percent for the same period last year.
The figures also show 21 robbery cases and 106 incidents of burglary so far this year.
Overall, crime is down 21 percent from January until the end of June.
Besides her time on the beauty pageant circuit, Anderson previously appeared in FHM, and was a contestant on WWE’s 2004 ‘Diva Search’.
The Daily Mail has approached representatives for Anderson and the Beverly Hills Police Department for further comment.
