An elderly street vendor fears for her safety after a man attacked her and robbed her of around $600 in Lincoln Heights.
The robbery took place on Monday, April 3, but the victim, Teresa Cruz, assures that the thief had premeditated the crime, since the day before he asked her questions about her jewelry.
“I’m scared. I still feel nervous. I can’t sleep. I feel like the guy is going to jump on me again,” Cruz said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Cruz was back at the intersection of Johnston and Broadway streets, where she has made a living selling rings, bracelets and other costume jewelry for more than a decade.
Cruz said the striker, in his early twenties, took advantage of the fact that there were no other salespeople present.
Her granddaughter, Emily Jacobo Diaz, said the man bullied her grandmother, knocked over the coffee she was holding and knocked over all the merchandise she had on the table before fleeing with the money .
The incident left Cruz in a very difficult situation.
“I still have a rent debt due to COVID that I haven’t been able to recover. My knee is bad, I barely walk and with this incident that happened, I feel even worse,” said Cruz.
Attacks on street vendors are so frequent that there is an organization helping them by providing them with pepper spray. David Chavez of the Riverside County Accountability group said they would also help Cruz get his visa, since he was the victim of a crime.
It is a help that Cruz appreciates. “I don’t feel, who says, alone. I feel supported by the community,” Cruz said.