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Asian couple attacked outside Oakland laundromat
KTVU's Henry Lee reports.
Oakland - The armed robbery of a Chinese couple outside a laundromat is the latest crime involving Asian victims in Oakland's Eastlake neighborhood near Lake Merritt.
"What we are seeing now is basically not only happening in Chinatown but all throughout the entire city," said Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and himself the victim of an attack downtown. "The problem is, now they're also using guns. It's getting scarier," Chan said.
The latest robbery happened outside a laundromat near 9th and International at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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Video: Oakland man robbed at gunpoint, punched, and thrown to the ground
A couple is seen struggling with two suspects in Oakland's Eastlake neighborhood before the thieves make off with the man's wallet and the woman’s purse. The man was punched and shoved to the ground.
One of the robbers - who's wearing a white DMX hoodie - confronts the man and checks him for valuables.
The victim isn't fighting back or physically resisting, but the man punches him in the head.
The other man struggles with the woman over her purse.
"Give me my ID!" the woman yells at the assailant.
Moments later, the male victim is tripped, sending him to the ground.
The robbers run off.
It happened near the same intersection where a woman was dragged by a car after purse was snatched last year.
And in July, a group robbed the Chai Thai Noodle restaurant at 6th and International minutes before closing. The owner told KTVU at the time, "You don't expect anything like this to happen."
But a business owner who provided video of the latest incident said, I'm not surprised. Oakland has been known for a lot of things."
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Elderly Asian assaulted in downtown Oakland
Police are investigating an assault on an elderly Asian woman in downtown Oakland.
He said you just never know when criminals will strike.
"You have to know what's around you and be more careful," he said. "Don't place your things - don't carry valuables, especially a lot of cash and jewelry."
Chan said the unfortunate reality is that Asian victims across the city are seen as easy targets.
"Crime's happening all over, and we must work together, and we must also work with the police department and work as a community to stop this kind of crimes happening," Chan said.