Three teens affiliated with Milwaukees notorious CT Mob thought they had easy prey when they spotted this pairbut they tangled with the wrong women.”>
They messed with the wrong Wisconsin women.
When alleged gang members targeted their Honda CR-V one October evening, two Milwaukee retirees sprang into action. Now the couple is credited with helping police nab a crew of suspected carjackers.
It was around 6:30 p.m., and Miriam Ben-Shalom and her life partner, Karen Weiss, had just finished a musical matinee. They pulled into Hotel Metro, ready to round out their theater date with a fancy French dinner.
But as they drove to the valet parking stand, they soon learned a band of wanted car thieves was right behind them. Ben-Shalom, 68, told cops she was fetching Weisss walker from the trunk when she spotted the valet attendant on the ground, struggling to push a teenage attacker off him.
So the Army veteran and renowned lesbian activist tackled the alleged thief, 50 years her junior, and pinned him to the pavement.
So I realize its probably a real gun, and Im looking at this kid as I put my hands up and back away, Ben-Shalom said. The attempted carjacker then hopped into his getaway car and sped off before police arrived.
Undeterred, Ben-Shalom and Weiss had dinner at the hotel, where front-desk attendants gave them high-fives and cheered, You go, girl. Milwaukee police called to the scene then interviewed the couple of 23 years as they shared cocktails and oysters, according to Ben-Shalom.
On Facebook the next day, the former drill sergeant had a message for the carjackers: Big brave fuckers, to try to jack a car from a disabled person . Lesson: dont jack cars and do not mess with old lady veterans.
The takedown is just Ben-Shaloms latest feat of derring-do.
The former English teacher made history by fighting the militarys ban on gay service members. In 1976, Ben-Shalom was kicked out of the Army for identifying as a lesbian. At the time, she was one of few female drill sergeants, and in 1988, became the first openly gay person to be re-enlisted in the Army by court order.
Earlier this year, she made headlines when the Milwaukee Pride Parade dropped her as grand marshal for posts on her Facebook page. The parade committee claimed her profile contained transphobic posts over restroom issues.
Ben-Shalom, a self-styled radical feminist, admitted she faced criticism after questioning whether male pretenders could take advantage of transgender restrooms. My fight is ensuring that women are safe from the pretenders who might use the trans issue to get in and hurt somebody, Ben-Shalom told Fox 6.
Now shes in the news again over the attempted carjacking.
Weiss told The Daily Beast she called cops asking for updates, but it wasnt until last week that detectives appeared at the couples home with an array of photos and asked them, separately, to identify the alleged perps.
Their IDs apparently helped Milwaukee County prosecutors, who on Sunday charged three teenagers with a slew of felonies. Authorities say 17-year-olds Junior Moreno and Jesus Lazaro, along with Giovanni Zurfluh, 18, belong to the Cut Throat Mob, which is responsible for car thefts and other crimes across the city.
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by The Daily Beast, the suspects are described as auto thieves who conduct planning and surveillance ahead of boosting vehicles, while also using already stolen vehicles as transport to their targets.
