May 28, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO, California—“Woketopia” continues in the most progressive city in America. Three suspects were arrested on the same day for three separate robberies of elderly Asians.
The first robbery happened on May 14 around 3 p.m. at a bus stop in Japantown. A 68-year-old Asian man was approached by a man armed with a pistol and demanded his wristwatch, according to CBSN Bay Area.
The gunman forced the victim to the ground and a struggle soon ensued over the wristwatch. The victim ferociously resisted, the gunman eventually let him go and fled the scene in a vehicle. Responding officers later found the vehicle in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood but didn’t find the suspect.
A week later, on May 21, investigators identified the robbery suspect as 24-year-old Pete Vines. He was arrested about a block away from where officers found the vehicle a week earlier. Vines is charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse, and using a weapon during an attempted felony.
Within a half-hour, after Vines was taken into custody, officers responded to a robbery that happened at Hickory and Gough Streets. An 83-year-old Asian woman told officers she was approached from behind while walking and someone began grabbing her purse. The Asian woman resisted and the attacker then engaged in a tug-of-war battle over her purse.
A Good Samaritan ran to help, causing the suspect to flee the scene. However, officers were able to find and detain the suspect after obtaining a description from the victim. 40-year-old Christopher Nadon, a Rohnert Park resident, was arrested and charged with attempted robbery, false imprisonment, elder abuse, kidnapping, and assault and battery, reports CBSN Bay Area.
Still the same day, around 12:30 p.m., officers patrolling the 500 block of Market St. saw a man chasing another man while screaming. The officers immediately detained the man being chased and after a brief struggle, ascertained the man being chased stole a bag and a cellphone from a 65-year-old Asian woman.
According to the Good Samaritan who was chasing the robber down, the suspect approached the Asian woman, struggled with her, and eventually stole her tote bag and cellphone. He was later identified as 31-year-old Ryan Preston of San Francisco. He was arrested and charged with robbery, elder abuse, and possession of stolen property.
According to CBSN Bay Area, District Attorney Chesa Boudin blamed poor police follow-up as the root cause for skyrocketing crime rate in San Francisco. Earlier this week, during an interview with KPIX5’s Ken Baisda, Boudin stated:
“Come down to the courthouse and watch what we’re doing,” he said. “Any day of the week, any courtroom. You will see my veteran prosecutors handling cases ranging from shoplifting to murder and doing it with dignity and integrity and doing with zealousness.”
“The reality is the POA (police officers union) needs someone to point the finger at and this isn’t a new issue,” he said. “Look they were blaming (Vice President) Kamala Harris and attacking her when she was the district attorney. This is an age-old problem in San Francisco because the POA wants to get away without doing their job. They want to get away with allowing their officers to send racist text messages, to use excessive force against the community, and to engage in systematic violations of civil rights of Black and brown drivers on our streets. And I’m pushing back and demanding that they modernize, that they reform, and that they respect all the members of our community.”
Feature Image via Pexels