A former California senator was assaulted and robbed in Oakland on Monday, according to a message on her personal Twitter account.
The attack, on former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, happened in the Jack London Square neighborhood, the post by her Twitter account reads, noting that she didn’t sustain any injuries in the attack.
“Earlier today former Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland. The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car,” according to the tweet. “She is thankful that she was not seriously injured.”
Earlier today former Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland. 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.”
— Barbara Boxer (@BarbaraBoxer) July 26, 2021
The Oakland Police Department confirmed the robbery while responding to multiple media inquiries, explaining that a suspect fled the scene in a waiting vehicle.
Boxer told KPIX-5 she doesn’t believe the suspect knew her and described him as a male around the age of 18.
“He pushed me very hard… and before I could follow him, he grabbed my phone,” the former lawmaker told the network in an interview.
“I was yelling at the kid ‘Why would you do this to a grandma?’ but he could care less,” she added.
The robbery is under investigation, police said. A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Boxer, an 80-year-old Democrat, has represented California for more than 20 years. She was first elected as a commissioner in 1982.
In 1992, she was elected to the U.S. Senate and served until 2017. She announced her retirement and did not seek another term during the state’s 2016 U.S. Senate election in November of that year.
Former President Donald Trump released a statement condemning the mugging of the Democrat and lamented the state of law enforcement in California and elsewhere.
“Former California Senator Barbara Boxer was savagely assaulted and robbed yesterday in Oakland, where they defunded the police,” Trump wrote. “Our once great cities, like New York, Detroit, San Francisco, and so many others, have become a paradise for criminals because of Democrats. We must give power back to police or America will never be safe. We cannot let Communist Democrats destroy our great cities. If we don’t stop them, our communities and our Country will be lost forever.”