Caught On Camera: 67-Year-Old Taiwanese Lyft Driver Robbed At Gunpoint

SOUTH EL MONTE (CBSLA) - Dashcam video captured a man robbing and assaulting a grandfather at gunpoint in South El Monte, while he was stopped at a gas station on his Lyft route.

Paul Liao, 67, was working as a Lyft driver Monday night when the suspect jumped into his car. The incident was captured on the dashcam that he had just purchased two months prior.

Liao was robbed at gunpoint at an Arco station at Rosemead Boulevard and Rush Street in South El Monte.

"I was very scared," said Liao. "Very scared."

The suspect slid into his backseat after Liao said he had just finished washing his car and was waiting for his next ride. Liao suffered a bloody nose from where the robber hit him twice before taking off.

"He used the gun to hit my face," said Liao.

In the video, the suspect grabs Liao's phone then forces him to hand over more than $1,500 in cash. Liao's daughter-in-law Christine Ting says he had just earned that money at another job.

"He had just gotten paid for doing designated driving services," she said Thursday.

Liao added the suspect also tried to steal the car but he convinced the robber that he wouldn't be able to drive it because he's not the owner.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident, calling it a crime of opportunity.

Liao, who is Taiwanese, says the suspect did ask about his race and if he came from China.

The LASD will be looking at elder abuse charges and if the suspect singled out the victim for his race or ethnicity, which would be a motivating factor for a hate crime.

If you would like to donate to the family's GoFundMe page, go here.