A Vietnamese family living in Oakland was subject to a horrific crime when violent robbers tied them up and stole their entire life savings in under an hour.
The victims said their 7-year-old child now has trouble sleeping after the incident. The crime happened just before the family went to sleep at around 10:00 p.m. on March 30. Shortly after, four-armed and masked individuals broke into the family’s home.
Stolen Life Savings
The criminals proceeded to tie up Roseni and her husband before breaking into all the other rooms and taking their belongings and money. Amy, the couple’s daughter, witnessed the criminals beat up her father.
Later, one of the intruders threatened to kill the family’s daughter if they did not show them where they hid their money.
“They cover up my daughter with a blanket. They say, ‘If you move and try to run away, the first person I’ll shoot will be your daughter,’” Roseni said.
The robbers took everything of value inside the Vietnamese family’s home, including their son’s sneakers and Roseni’s bangles she wore on her wrist. However, the couple said the biggest loss was their life savings.
“They finally got it at the last minute before they leave my house. They got what they want,” Roseni said. She also felt a bit of relief when the robbers assured them they were not going to hurt her family.
“Don’t worry, we won’t kill or rape you, we just came here for the money. You know that COVID-19 right? We have no jobs, we have no money, that’s what’s making us do this,” Roseni recollected the robbers saying.
Despite their words, the robbers still left Roseni’s husband bloodied and beaten. The incident also left their daughter unable to sleep properly at night. “They covered me with a blanket and I couldn’t breathe. I’m scared they’re gonna come back though, and I don’t want them to come back,” Amy said.
“We understand how traumatic that can be, especially for a young child,” Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said. He revealed investigators were following up on leads to identify the criminals, Yahoo News reported.
The public has set up a GoFundMe page for the family to make up for their lost life savings and pay for their medical bills. It has since raised more than $110,000, much more than its initial $30,000 goal.
