Armed man robs elderly Asian couple in Oakland’s Chinatown, escapes in getaway Mercedes SUV

Surveillance footage of the Dec. 26 incident at the intersection of 8th and Franklin shows a man wearing a black coat with his face covered walking next to the couple, when he pulls a gun on the elderly woman, who was holding a purse.

According to KGO-TV reporter Dion Lim, "Mr. H" and his wife were walking in that area after they had visited a friend's jewelry store.

Mr. H said the man "said give me your f*cking purse!"

The man then pushed Mrs. H to the ground and grabbed her purse. The male suspect ran to a nearby getaway vehicle, a Mercedes SUV, reportedly almost getting hit by another car as he ran across the busy street.

Lim said the couple, who are both in their 70s, are physically okay.

"Mr. H was in good spirits despite being scared to go out," wrote Lim, who added that the couple now has their four children help with running errands.

"Mr. H also said he was disappointed at the defunding of police because if someone needs help 'who they going to call? Ghostbusters?!' That gave us both a good laugh," Lim reported.

In response to Lim's tweets regarding the Dec. 26 attack, cosnervative commentator Dinesh D'Souza wrote: "It makes no sense to cover these as isolated incidents without asking what policies embolden criminals in this way. You might start using the term 'Democrats' in your otherwise excellent reporting."

In June, Oakland City Council voted to remove funding for their police department, which would have taken away $18.4 million dollars in funding. That decision though was overturned in November, as the crime-ridden city experienced a skyrocketing crime rate.

In November, a retired Oakland police officer was murdered while serving as a security guard for a news station covering smash-and-grab robberies in the area. The shooting victim, Kevin Nishita, a father of two and grandfather of three, was shot in the abdomen and later succumbed to his injuries.

Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan urged California Governor Gavin Newsome in August to deploy California Highway Patrol officers to the city and declare a local state of emergency to address the violence.

"The rash of shootings, carjacking, assaults and robberies hold the city of Oakland hostage," said Chan. "Citizens are living in the continuous state of fear for our safety, well-being, livelihoods and future."

While Chan blamed the rise in violent crimes in part on the "defund the police" movement, he noted that criminals were less cautious "because the state's justice system and unnamed district attorneys that he said are too lenient with repeat offenders."