A pair of Asian neighbors in their 60s and 70s fell victim to car fires in
Chheng, an immigrant from Cambodia, woke up at 3:30 a.m. to see his white Toyota SUV engulfed in flames.
A vehicle owned by his Chinese neighbor, which was parked directly behind his car, also caught fire.
With the rise in anti-Asian violence, both seniors feel they were targeted.
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Chheng and his neighbors are the only Asian homes along their road, while the rest are Latino.
While the Oakland Fire Department has not found any evidence of foul play, Chheng and his neighbor fear retaliation.
“We want peace right now. We don’t do anything wrong to people. We just want peace and live in the United States,” Chheng told ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim. So far, Oakland police have also found “no evidence of criminal activity,” but anyone with information is asked to come forward.
A local organization is reportedly setting up a GoFundMe page to help Chheng recover from the incident.