Oakland seniors plead for protection amid violent robberies
OAKLAND, Calif. - Residents at a senior housing complex in Oakland are fearful and are pleading for protection after several robberies.
Maria Tsang described an incident involving her 80-year-old neighbor: "He beat her. Not only the money. He beat her. She (got) hurt."
In the past month, at least 15 residents of Westlake Christian Terrace have been attacked, with many of the victims being elderly women of Asian descent.
Tsang said, "All the seniors are scared to go out. They stop all their activities. They're scared to go shopping, grocery (shopping), walk around this area."
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Chun Chung gave an emotional appeal, "Please help us. We all, one day we all (will) get old. We shouldn't be living in these conditions."
On Friday, a woman living at the complex became the latest victim. The ordeal was caught on video.
The footage showed three young men jumping out of a Kia Sorento. They ran toward the woman at 28th and Broadway before pulling her to the ground and dragging her on the sidewalk.
John Arrousez, a worker at nearby Volkswagen of Oakland, and a coworker, attempted to intervene. One of the attackers then pulled out a gun, and the robbers fled in their vehicle.
"It took me a second to register. I thought about my family, and that kind of made me stop because I still wanted to chase them," said Arrousez.
Arrousez, who has noticed the repeated targeting of residents from the senior housing, said, "It's just very unfortunate, and it's disgusting behavior, and I will do anything to stop it as much as possible,"
Sister Marie Taylor, leader of the complex's resident council, questioned, "When is the violence going to stop?" She added, "Not only are they grabbing and kicking, but now they're using a gun to also intimidate and make sure they get what they want."
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Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan called for increased resources such as shuttles, chaperones, and more law enforcement.
"They're supposed to be getting respect, love and care. But instead, they're facing all this crime, targeting them," Chan said.
Charles Jung, an attorney with the Asian Justice Movement, agreed, saying, "We should all be outraged, outraged, and disgusted by the fact that our seniors and elders are subjected to violence."
Oakland police said seven juveniles have been arrested and three of them have been charged by Alameda County prosecutors. But other robbery crews are still at large.
Deputy Police Chief Frederick Shavies said police have stepped up patrols.
"We want individuals in that community to feel safe. We also want to bring some sort of justice to those who have been victimized," Shavies said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.