Woman at 7-Eleven with alleged abuser uses hand signal that’s a cry for help, police say
A simple yet powerful hand signal popularized on TikTok helped a woman escape a domestic violence incident at a 7-Eleven in Alhambra, police said.
A bystander called 911 after witnessing a woman in the store give the “signal for help” behind her back, a gesture that involves tucking your thumb into your palm and trapping it with four fingers on top. Alhambra police officers quickly responded to the call and found the woman and the suspect inside the 7-Eleven at 2150 S. Fremont Ave. on Aug. 19.
The suspect, identified as John Palombi of Glendora, attempted to flee after officers asked to speak to him outside the store. Recently released body camera video shows Palombi, 38, ditching two plastic bags and a Big Bite hot dog box before running away from the officers, who catch him within seconds and load him into a police car.
It was later determined that a domestic violence incident had occurred and that Palombi had an active warrant for his arrest as well as a stun gun in his possession, police said. He was booked at the Alhambra city jail, and is currently being held without bail at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s inmate information center.
He is due in court on Sept. 11, but so far no new charges have been filed against him, according to the L.A. County district attorney’s office.
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In May 2022, Palombi was convicted of a felony charge of possession of a firearm by a narcotics addict, according to court records. Then, in April 2023, he was convicted of a felony charge of evading a police officer with a willful disregard for the safety of people or property, court records show. He was arrested three times last year on suspicion of violating the terms of his parole.
The signal for help was created in April 2020 by the Canadian Women’s Foundation to help combat the spike in domestic violence during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Home isolation can increase the risk of violence.
If this is the case for you, use this signal on a video call to ask for help. If someone gives you this signal, visit https://t.co/5fr6MRuKh2 to learn how to check in safely and find support resources. #SignalForHelp #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/IceauYbXCx— Canadian Women’s Foundation (@cdnwomenfdn) April 14, 2020
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The organization designed the signal to be a widely recognized but discreet way for a survivor to reach out for help over video or in person. The signal went viral on social media and has been credited with helping rescue women from gender-based violence in countries including Spain, Syria, Italy and the United States.
A missing 16-year-old girl was rescued in 2021 after using the hand signal from inside a car in Kentucky. A man in Tennessee was charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault in 2022 after his ex-girlfriend used the hand signal to tip off gas station staff that she needed help.
