Man Fights Off Armed Robbers After Online Transaction Goes Bad in Tamarac

A South Florida man is speaking out after he was ambushed, robbed at gunpoint and pistolwhipped while meeting up with someone to buy an iPhone.

Olzhas Kaldybayev went to Tamarac on April 15 to buy the phone that he saw for sale online. When he went to the address given, he said the person selling the phone and two other people pulled out guns and robbed him.

"I was nervous, I had a lot of adrenaline,” Kaldybayev said. "They hit my head with the gun, I have a scar now."

Kaldybayev said the three attackers hit him with a gun and stole his bag, which had money for his family overseas in Kazakhstan.

Broward Sheriff's Deputies said the robbers took off and Kaldybayev chased them.

"I needed to send part of this cash to Kazakhstan for my family,” Kaldybayev said.

He managed to catch one of them and get him away from his weapon. He pulled out his phone and started recording while making sure the young man didn't get away.

Kaldybayev then ended up in front of someone's home. When the homeowner came out, he told him to call 911. While waiting for deputies, Kaldybayev said the two other robbers caught up with him and started attacking him again. His phone was still recording the violent attack.

Kaldybayev is seen defending himself in the cellphone video. He said he managed to pull the gun away before all three of the robbers ran away. He was left bloody and bruised.

"Physically, I'm normal and good, but sometimes I have a headache,” Kaldybayev said.

His friends are calling him brave.

"We were really scared at first and amazed at first,” Askar Idirisov said. "But at the same time, we were scared for our friend because that might have been the night we didn't see him."

As Kaldybayev looks back on his terrifying experience, he’s thankful he made it out alive.

BSO’s Robbery and Crime Scene units are continuing to actively investigate the incident. The sheriff's office offers a Safe Transaction Zone at all their district offices for free.