Elderly Asian man beaten and robbed by teenagers in US

Elderly Asian man attacked in San Leandro
Elderly Asian man attacked in San Leandro Photo credit: Supplied

An elderly Asian American man was beaten and robbed by teenagers near San Francisco on May 8. 

Video footage caught on a resident's home security camera shows the 80-year-old man calling for help as the suspects aged between 16 and 19 attacked him, law enforcement told ABC7. 

The man sustained minor injuries and claimed the attack was motivated by anti-Asian prejudice. 

Police said the teenagers stole the man's Fitbit after demanding he give them his wallet. They also claim the suspects fled the scene because the man was calling for help 

A man who wanted to be known as "Marcos" who captured the footage told the outlet: "It's crazy to see kids that age doing that kind of stuff.. going down that road already."

Marcos said he wants to see "more consequences. Because it seems to be ongoing….it's really the best thing that can happen so they learn". 

Lt Ali Khan of the San Leandro Police Department, told the outlet attacks on Asian Americans spiked by nearly 300 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. 

Khan said he was "shocked" when they received the results of a study which indicated the demographics of the crime victims and said although he is unsure how many are "hate crimes," the "numbers don't lie."

He added the department has raised several patrols and is working with the District Attorney. 

Law enforcement said "detectives are pursuing all avenues of investigative leads," but claim there is no evidence to suggest the elderly Asian man was targeted because of his racial background. 

Despite this, a neighbour told NBC Bay Area he thought the man was targeted because of his race. 

San Leandro has seen several attacks perpetrated against Asian Americans since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In May 2020, a woman delivered letters to residents demanding Asian people leave the United States. Earlier this year, an Asian American man was attacked and robbed outside a local bank. 

But the attacks are not just centred around the Bay Area, Stop AAPI Hate released a US report earlier this month and revealed Anti-Asian hate incidents have nearly doubled nationally. 

In March surveillance footage revealed an Asian American woman was severely assaulted on a New York City Street. 

Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Russell Jeung told Time Magazine community efforts and solidarity are the only ways to curb racist attacks.