An elderly Asian woman wound up in the hospital after falling victim to a violent robbery outside a fast food restaurant in Vallejo, California, on Sunday.
Enelia Perez, 71, was reportedly exiting the Jollibee at Vallejo Plaza near Sonoma Boulevard and Redwood Street at around 7 p.m. when a man approached her and tried to grab her purse.
Family members and friends witnessed the attack. A struggle ensued and the robber became violent, said Perez’s stepson Dennis.
“He hit her in the head with something, some blunt object. And then she went down,” Dennis told KTVU.
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The robber fled in a getaway car. He managed to take Perez’s purse, which contained money, her ID and credit cards, according to reports.
Perez was rushed to the emergency room, where she was reportedly found to have bleeding in the brain. Her latest CT scan reportedly showed that the bleeding has stabilized.
While Perez’s condition is improving, family members remain distraught – prior to the incident, the Filipino American family and their friends visited San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and bonded over dinner.
“These are cowards. They prey on elderly. My stepmom is 71 years old,” Dennis told NBC Bay Area. “She’s just having a nice night out with friends and family, and for this to happen, it’s sickening.”
This recent attack adds to the surge in violent robberies targeting elderly Asian Americans across the U.S. Dennis is demanding solutions.
“You always hear about it, but when it becomes personal, you know, something really needs to be done about this. I mean, it’s ridiculous,” Dennis told KTVU.
Vallejo police are investigating the incident. Perez remained under observation as of Monday night.
Featured Image via NBC Bay Area
