Viral Video Shows Oakland Ice Cream Vendor Manuel Mesa Robbed: Money Taken, Cart Vandalized, Poster Deletes Her Account
Manuel Mesa, an elderly vendor who has pushed an ice cream cart through East Oakland in Alameda County, California, for nearly 20 years, was robbed on Monday, November 9, when a crowd surrounded his cart, in an incident captured on video that went viral on social media. According to KRON4, people crowded around his cart to steal ice cream and vandalized the cart while Mesa was seemingly defenseless. The woman who filmed and posted the video deleted it and her social media page after it drew a wave of criticism, and did not respond to KRON4's request for comment.
Mesa told KRON4 in Spanish that he was assaulted and that his money was taken, and said he has worked in the neighborhood for almost 20 years and is known to many locals. Residents told KRON4 this was not the first time Mesa had been robbed, and said he had even been shot in the past. The report gave no amount for the money taken and no names or descriptions of suspects.
Neighbor Demeitri Randolph told KRON4 that people should not take advantage of a man who has sold ice cream in the neighborhood for so long, and that doing things for a reaction is not funny. Mesa is back out on the streets with his cart, ice cream and bells, and told KRON4 that things have been better since the incident and that he feels more secure and in control. KRON4 said it has reached out to the Oakland Police Department and was still waiting to hear back.
Source: KRON4
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：加州奥克兰市东区Fruitvale大道黄昏街景，Pi.1415926535摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons，已裁为1600×900，彩色；非事发现场画面。/ File photo: Fruitvale Avenue in East Oakland, California, at sunset (photo by Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons), cropped to 1600x900; not a photo of the incident scene.
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