Just a day after Christmas, a robbery was recorded in Oakland’s Chinatown, victimizing an elderly couple.
This pushed community heads to apply some changes.
The two seniors were seen in a video being followed as they exit from a jewelry shop on Franklin Street, an exclusive report by ABC7 said.
ABC7’s Dion Lim was told by the man seen in the video that the robber seemed to be in appropriate attire, but drew a firearm out of nowhere and asked for the elder female’s purse.
The two seniors, who are in their 70s, fell to the ground as the female was pushed.
The suspect was also seen to escape to a getaway car nearby, another video revealed. He has his victim’s purse in hand.
Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce president Carl Chan said that there was a decrease in crime in the neighborhood before the holidays.
Chan will push for additional protections to ensure the safety of residents.
“Not only are we needing more police presence in the community, we need to install additional cameras and license plate readers because it has proven successful in many cities.”
Meanwhile, the elderly male victimized by robbers said Oakland seems like “a broken society” after the pandemic.
“Fortunately we got bruised but have no broken bones or anything serious. Mentally we are really scared,” he said.
Defunding the police is not the way to ensure the community’s safety, the man said.
He also expressed his gratitude for his family members nearby who can help them with their errands.
