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Former US senator Barbara Boxer allegedly assaulted, robbed in Oakland

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Former Sen. Barbara Boxer was allegedly attacked from behind and robbed of her cellphone in Oakland, California, on Monday, a message from her Twitter account said.

Boxer, 80, was assaulted in the Jack London Square neighborhood. “The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car. She is thankful that she was not seriously injured,” the message read. Oakland police confirmed that a robbery occurred on Third Street around 1:15 p.m and that it is under investigation but did not identify the victim in a statement.

Boxer, who spoke to KPIX, reportedly walked from the crime scene to a Verizon store two blocks away where she called police. She said the incident happened very quickly and she’s still trying to make sense of it. “Well, he pushed me very hard,” Boxer told the TV station. “It’s hard for me to describe what happened because it was so fast, but, when I started to move away from him, he came behind me, pushed me hard, and then before I could fall it was like he grabbed my phone in front, so it’s just hard to put all together.”

A spokesperson for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the mayor was “deeply troubled” to learn of Boxer’s assault and robbery. The statement reads in part: “The Mayor was deeply troubled to learn of the assault and robbery of Sen. Boxer today. She spoke with the Senator’s family to extend her well wishes for a speedy recovery and was relieved to learn she was not seriously injured…”

At this time, Oakland police are working to collect surveillance footage from the area. No arrests have been made and the robbery remains under investigation. According to the local police department, a $2,000 reward is available for any information that leads to an arrest.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: WBUR.ORG

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