South Bay : Victim Didn’t Bank on Such Generosity

It seemed like just another story about the unpleasantness of modern life: A young mother saved up $28,000 in cash for a house, only to have her nest egg stolen last week from a coat pocket in her rented Inglewood home.

Adding insult to injury, the alleged thief, age 13, threw the money into the air and handed out $100 bills to strangers.

Natalia Armas, 29, was mortified. “I just kept thinking, I’d ended up with no dream, no home, just a whole lot of bills,” she said.

But luck changed for Armas this week, and the story changed too.

A Burbank restaurateur learned about her plight, contacted his bank and arranged to establish a trust fund to benefit Armas, launching it with money of his own.

“Everyone’s entitled to one dream, and she had a dream,” said Jim Lucero of the Smoke House restaurant.

Armas and her daughters, ages 6 and 8, were unsuspecting Tuesday when Inglewood Police Sgt. Bill Thompson drove them to Western Security Bank in Burbank, where they were told about the trust fund. By Wednesday noon, the total was nearing $11,000.

“I can’t believe this person would do this without knowing me, without knowing my children,” Armas said. “I couldn’t keep saying thank you.”

Information about the trust fund is available by calling (818) 843-0707. . . .