Carl Chan, Chinatown Chamber
- An elderly Asian man was robbed and assaulted in Oakland's Chinatown, according to reports.
- A video shows a witness being pistol-whipped after trying to intervene.
- The violent incident is one of the several assaults on Asian-Americans in the Bay Area in recent months.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Police in Oakland, California are investigating a violent armed robbery that occurred in broad daylight on Thursday afternoon, CBSN Bay Area reported.
A video of the incident shows an elderly Asian man, who appears to be screaming, being held to the ground by a hooded suspect. The senior's cane can be seen lying on the street a few feet away from him.
-Da Lin (@DaKPIX) July 16, 2021
According to ABC News, the elderly man was standing on a corner of Oakland's Chinatown when two men approached him, forced him to the ground, stole his possessions, and then pistol-whipped him.
Police said that a witness to the assault and robbery tried to rescue the victim, CBSN Bay Area reported. The video shows that would-be hero, wearing a bicycle helmet, attempt to intervene before being pistol-whipped in the face by one of the suspects. He can then be seen falling to the ground.
Police are now trying to identify the two suspects and their driver, ABC News said.
There have been several assaults on Asian-Americans in the Bay Area over the last few months, including a similar incident in which a 91-year old man was also pushed to the ground in Oakland's Chinatown in February. An Asian-American senior was also fatally assaulted in San Francisco in January.
There has been a surge in the number of attacks on Asian-Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with elderly people bearing the brunt of incidents, Insider's Erin Snodgrass reported.
Dit artikel is oorspronkelijk verschenen op z24.nl