An elderly woman was brutally attacked without provocation in Oakland, just days after the city’s mayor touted a decline in crime.
In a shocking video circulating on social media, the victim can be seen walking down the street behind another passerby while carrying a bag and a piece of luggage at her side.
The unidentified woman stares at a man wearing a black zip-up hoodie, white shirt and black ‘Wild Boyz’ pants before being savagely punched in the head and falling to the ground.
After beating the old woman, the maniac then attacks the passerby walking in front of her, who was also carrying the suitcase.
While the suspect stole one of the elderly woman’s handbags and the passerby’s suitcase, four men who witnessed the altercation chased the perpetrator.
Days after Oakland’s mayor touted a decline in crime, an elderly woman was attacked and robbed without provocation
In the video circulating on social media, the woman follows another passerby with a bag and suitcase at her side. The woman looks at the man who is wearing a black hoodie, white shirt and black pants before being punched in the head and falling to the ground.
The identities of the victims and the suspect have not yet been released. It is unclear whether the attacker has been arrested.
Just days earlier, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, 38, had boasted of a decline in crime in the city, which has been plagued by violence in recent years.
“Oakland is seeing positive results from new public safety strategies,” the mayor said, calling it a “proven, data-driven strategy that focuses law enforcement violence prevention and community resources on Oaklanders who are most at risk of being involved in violence.”
Mayor Thao said that since the “Operation Ceasefire” was introduced, “violent crimes and general delinquency have declined significantly and steadily.”
The mayor did not provide figures explaining how crime levels had dropped significantly.
Sheng Thao faces a historic recall election in November amid anger over his failure to get control of the situation in Oakland.
Thao, 38, faces a recall election Less than two years into her term as mayor, the measure that could see her ousted from office will be put to a vote in November.
Rising crime and budget issues have been a challenge for Thao since he took office in January 2023 after a term on the Oakland City Council.
Oakland voters are upset about rising crime in the Bay Area city.
They say Thao’s progressive, soft-on-crime policies have emboldened criminals and scared away businesses. It’s a story repeated in many progressive and Democratic cities across the country.
In the case of Mayor Thao, she had previously denounced the rise in crime, stating that the spike began in 2019, before her term in office.
But it is lax bail reform policies and the failure to successfully prosecute even minor crimes that have led to Oakland’s continued decline.
In Oakland, the city has been rocked by violent crime in recent months, including murders, which rose from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year.
Oakland has been rocked by violent crime in recent months, including murders that have skyrocketed from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year. (pictured) Police investigate a multiple shooting and a homicide at an Oakland gas station in January 2023.
Overall crime is up 18 percent in 2023, with property crime up 17 percent and violent crime up 21 percent.
And in the first four months of 2024, home burglaries were up 118 percent from the same period last year.
Surprisingly, in 2023, one car was stolen for every 30 residents.
The situation has prompted several major corporations to pull out of the city, citing fears for staff safety and the devastating impact of theft on retail.
The progressive Democratic lawmaker is the first mayor in city history to stand for recall, after a campaign to oust her garnered more than 40,000 signatures.
Public support for Thao has been waning and former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong has urged her to resign.
“What’s really challenging is not just the absence of the mayor, but the absence of other city leaders stepping up at this time to make sure that residents and the people of the city of Oakland know that leadership is in place and working to help solve some of these problems,” said LeRonne Armstrong, a former police chief fired by Thao.
Last month, federal authorities raided her home. Thao was defiant and furious, insisting she had done nothing wrong and had no plans to resign from her post.
Last month, federal authorities raided her home. Thao was defiant and furious, insisting she had done nothing wrong and had no plans to resign from her post.
Mayor Sheng Thao read from a prepared statement and did not take questions four days after FBI agents removed boxes from the home he shares with his son and his partner as part of an investigation that included searches at two other homes owned by another family.
Retired Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who is leading the recall campaign, is calling for Thao to resign.
“She should do the right thing and resign. The FBI raid is going to be a distraction, no matter how you look at it. Even if she’s not charged, it’s going to be a distraction trying to manage this investigation and trying to run a city,” Harbin-Forte said.
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