Residents of Oakland retirement community targeted by robbers
OAKLAND -- Charles Dolin has lived in Westlake Christian Terrace north of Oakland's Lake Merritt for over 15 years and he says a string of recent robberies of mostly elderly women living at the retirement community has been nothing short of horrific.
"The minute they get away from here and get up the street and stuff, heading down this way here, the guys just run up and grab their purses, punch them and run off with their purses," Dolin said.
He says that, in recent months, dozens of women have been attacked as they leave the complex to go shopping. He says one time he even stepped in when he thought an attack was about to happen.
"I was walking down the street, going down this way and I saw this guy saw one of our women, an older woman, walk out of her place and she was walking down the street going to go shopping and I watched him and all of a sudden he got behind her and started walking behind her. So I -- quick -- run as fast as I could and got behind her. Soon as he heard me coming he quick went that way," Dolin said.
Oakland police say 25 robberies have been reported in the area. This week, officers announced they had made several arrests.
"We did arrest three separate -- I would say -- entities that were engaging in this type of behavior. There were seven juveniles arrested and one male adult arrested," said Asst. Chief James Beere, with the Oakland Police Department.
Dolin said, sadly, he wasn't surprised to hear most of the people arrested were kids.
"What's the best way to do it? See some old lady, 70-year-old lady walking out with her purse, run up, hit her in the face, grab her purse and run off with it," Dolin said.
He says OPD has stepped up patrols in the area and it seems to be working -- there hasn't been a significant attack in a while. Still he's not convinced these arrests will be the end of the attacks.
"The point is these people still have to go out and go shopping and you can't have somebody following you around and protect from people who just want to grab your purse," Dolin said.
