A Chinese couple was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint outside an Asian-owned laundromat in Oakland’s Little Saigon neighborhood.
On Monday, the storeowner shared a CCTV video of the attack that occurred last Wednesday with Dion Lim of ABC7 News. The footage showed two suspects approaching, assaulting and robbing the couple outside of the business on Ninth Avenue and International Boulevard at around 1:30 p.m.
The owner of the laundromat said many stores in the Oakland’s Chinatown area are closing early lately because of these crimes, according to ABC7 News.
“There’s a lot of lost business and lost income because of that fear that someone is out there, about to take advantage of me,” he said. “It’s sad they have to do that, sad we have to do that.”
He also said to ABC7 News that attacks on Asian Americans are not a new problem. The owner mentioned that his own mother was “robbed across the streets 6 or 7 years ago.”
LATEST STORIES
Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and also a victim of an attack last April, said these crimes are getting “scarier,” according to KTVU.
“What we are seeing now is basically not only happening in Chinatown but all throughout the entire city,” Chan told KTVU. “The problem is, now they’re also using guns.”
The incident is still under investigation by the Oakland police.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, submitting a story or making a financial contribution.
