Caught on camera: Grandmother choked, robbed of life savings by suspect disguised as utility worker
In the video, you can hear grandma's screams as the suspects dragged her chihuahua and then proceeded to choke and beat her.
DALY CITY, Calif. -- A young woman is speaking out after her 70-year-old grandma was choked, beaten, and her entire life savings stolen in a home invasion robbery in California. One of the three suspects can be seen on surveillance video, disguised as a utility worker.
You can see the senior citizen watering plants on the front steps of her Daly City home. She goes inside and suddenly, a man approaches.
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"A man dressed in a construction vest and a hard hat and a laptop," says Skylar, "He walked from the car to the front door and rang the doorbell and he was wearing a ski mask and had gloves on with skeletons printed on them. He was also carrying a computer."
Skylar, the woman's granddaughter, requested we use only her first name for privacy.
"My grandma is a very smart lady, she did not let him in."
Skylar says, at the same time, unbeknownst to grandma, two more individuals somehow entered her backyard. When grandma tried to run to the front of the home, the man dressed in a utility worker's uniform broke in.
You can hear grandma's screams as the suspects dragged grandma's chihuahua and then proceeded to choke and beat her.
Her home was ransacked and she says her entire life savings were stolen.
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Skylar says the event was traumatic for her entire family but she wanted to speak out to raise awareness about this type of crime. Especially for elderly Asian Americans.
"I really just want the violence toward our community to stop." She hopes that sharing what happened it'll prevent another elder from becoming a victim.
Additional video from a family member's dashcam shows the three suspects exiting with armfuls of stolen goods. Daly City police said the investigation is ongoing and say yes, there have been cases where suspects dress up like utility workers in the past.
Skylar has started a GoFundMe to help with her grandma's recovery. To donate, visit here.
