PORTLAND, Ore. — Police are investigating a string of thefts and robberies in Portland's Jade District in Southeast Portland.
The suspects are targeting elderly Asian women carrying purses and at least two people have been hurt.
Police said there have been 12 robberies and thefts going back to December in the area, roughly encompassing 82nd Avenue from Powell Boulevard to Division Street.
KGW spoke with one man whose grandmother and aunt were robbed and pushed to the ground outside the Fubonn shopping center on Southeast 82nd. He asked to remain anonymous because he is worried about retaliation.
"They got out of the car, walking toward the entrance over here, grandma walks with a walker, so my aunt was walking right next to her," the man said.
However, the two did not even make it into the store.
"She had her purse over her shoulder and then these two guys just came up, pushed my grandma to the ground, knocked the walker over, and pushed my aunt to the ground," he said.
Once on the ground, he says his aunt was dragged 10 or 15 feet. He shared photos showing just how badly they were hurt. His grandma had to go to the emergency room.
"She had to get stitches and then, about two days after the incident, her face got really, really swollen and very bruised," he said.
Surveillance video from Fubonn shows two men with their hoods up in the parking lot.
Detectives believe a group of four African American men ages 16 to 20-years-old are responsible. Crime Stoppers released photos and video of the group, hoping someone knows who they are.
One surveillance video shows them in the mall after using one of the victim's stolen credit cards.
"This needs to stop," he said. "I mean, luckily, my grandma's going to recover from this, but this potentially could have been very serious or even deadly had she hit her head on the concrete."
Thankfully, his family members are doing OK. However, as the bruises heal, the memory of what happened is harder to shake.
"She's a tough one, trying to recover, and, you know, just trying to, told me to brush it off, let it go, but that's my family, I can't let that go," he said.
Detectives have done undercover missions to try to catch the suspects. At this point though, no one has been arrested. There is now a $2,500 reward for information that helps police find them. You can submit tips anonymously.
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