Elderly woman brazenly robbed in Stockton Walmart, family pushing for arrests
STOCKTON -- The family of an elderly woman said she was targeted and robbed in a Stockton Walmart on Saturday. They fear it's part of a disturbing trend: a rise in violence toward Asian Americans.
On Wednesday, police released a photo of the two suspects believed to have been behind the senseless attack.
If you recognize the suspects, you're asked to contact Detective Villanueva at 937-7072 or Stockton Crime Stoppers Inc. at 946-0600.
The woman attacked was too shaken up to speak with CBS13, but her niece Shellane who was with her when it all happened says she feels let down that no one stepped in to help.
Shellane has asked we not identify her last name.
The incident happened at the Walmart on Hammer Lane, where visible cameras pointed in all directions and patrolling security were clearly not enough to deter the brazen act.
"People who are looking to steal and prey on somebody come to places like this," Shellane told CBS13. "She was an easy target. She's an elderly woman. She was small."
Shellane said she and her sister-in-law were waiting in the checkout line to pay when their aunt went to grab one forgotten item. They heard a scream and went running, not even knowing at first who was screaming. When they got closer, they say they realized immediately it was their aunt.
Watch the original report below
"A man, he came up behind her and she said with two hands he grabbed her bag and yanked it off her shoulder and it threw her back. They looked at each other and then he took off running," said Shellane.
She said they were there shopping for items to send back home to family in need in the Philippines, something they do often. As the saying goes, "no good deed goes unpunished."
"She had over $350 in cash she was supposed to send to her family in the Philippines. She's really upset about that. Not only did they take from her, but they took food out of other people's mouths," said Shellane.
More than that, the family fears retaliation. Shellane said she found the ransacked purse dumped outside the store, but personal information including social security cards and a green card was gone. It has her aunt fearing the worst.
"She wants to move. She wants to get out of state. She doesn't want them to know where she lives. She had documents in there with our address on it. She just feels scared," said Shellane.
She adds their family feels let down by Walmart in-store security.
"When it comes to protecting their guests that spend so much money here, they were not proactive at all. They stood there and watched her scream for help and did nothing," claims Shellane.
It comes at a time when Walmart's CEO Doug McMillon has admitted to national news outlets that retail theft within the chain is rapidly rising.
With security geared toward loss prevention, Walmart does not guarantee in-store security to protect customers from a crime like this. It's something Shellane said should perhaps be reconsidered.
"Women with children have to be aware. Elderly people have to be aware. Women by themselves have to be aware," she said.
The Stockton store's manager declined to comment to CBS13 Monday when asked about security protocols or if security guards at the store are trained to step in during cases like this. The manager directed us to corporate media contacts. As of Monday night, we have not heard back.
Shellane said she is relying on Stockton police to help get justice for her aunt as they all fear the assailants could escalate and hurt someone.
"If they could prevent it, why not stop it?" Shellane asked.
The family said they did file a police report with the Stockton Police Department at Walmart right after the incident and do plan to press charges. They want police to release photos of the suspects from store surveillance video so the public can be on the lookout.
CBS13 reached out to Stockton police Monday for details on the investigation; with it being the President's Day holiday, details are not yet available on the investigation or their description of the suspects.
