Dashcam video captured the moment a man stopped the attempted robbery of an elderly couple in San Gabriel.
The good Samaritan, Tony Truong, was driving down Valley Boulevard near Walnut Street around 4 p.m. when he noticed the couple stopped on the sidewalk.
He said the woman reminded him of his mother who had passed away four months ago. That’s when he noticed the woman’s husband was being harassed and robbed by a man.
His vehicle’s dash camera captured the confrontation as the thief appeared to be snatching a gold chain off the elderly man’s neck.
“I was heading to the shop and I witnessed a robbery,” recalled Truong. “The guy was robbing an elderly man in a wheelchair so I stepped in and helped.”
Truong said it took a second to process what was unfolding in front of his eyes. As he looked at the woman who reminded him of his late mother, “it just so happened that the more I was looking at her, I saw her husband in the back getting robbed,” said Truong.
The video, which has gone viral on social media, captured Truong pulling over and yelling at the thief to stop.
“The guy was trying to stash the gold chain off the victim and I got out of the car and ran over,” said Truong. “I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ and said ‘That’s not okay.’ He told me he was trying to give the man some money and I’m like, ‘No, that’s not what I saw. I saw exactly what you did.’”
The suspect left the area and drove off in a large white Nissan Armada SUV with Nevada license plates and a female passenger inside.
Truong was able to capture clear images of the man and his vehicle before he fled the scene.
“I don’t consider myself a hero, I was just doing what anybody would do,” said Truong. “I’m just tired of seeing this happening online and nobody steps in.”
The elderly couple’s family tells KTLA they definitely consider Truong a hero and said although the couple is shaken up, they are well and are very grateful to Truong.