Oakland neighborhood reeling after incident leaves restaurant owner dead, employee hurt, police say

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- An Oakland neighborhood is in mourning following the sudden death of a restaurant owner.

One man was sent to the hospital and another man ultimately died, stemming from a violent incident that happened in Oakland's Little Saigon neighborhood Sunday.

The Oakland Police Department says it was called out around 4:30 p.m. for reports of an assault.

It all began near the Best Dim Sum and Pastry restaurant, where OPD says a man was vandalizing cars.

We spoke with the restaurant's owner, who told ABC7 News she didn't want to go on camera. The woman says one of her employees ran out to confront the man, who was unhoused.

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The employee was accompanied by the woman's husband. The pair chased the man down the road.

At some point during the chase, the woman's husband had a heart attack and ultimately died. Around the same time, the employee was hit by what OPD described as a blunt object.

In surveillance video from a nearby gas station, you can see the suspect drop an object before entering the store. Moments later, the victim approached the store, touching his head as if checking for blood. The unhoused man eventually walked away.

Jennifer Tran, president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, says the unhoused man was known among many business owners in the community.

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"Based on my understanding, the individual experienced an episode. One of several that he's had increasingly over the last few years," Tran said.

Tran says Sunday's incident is an example of the anxiety felt by the community when it comes to crime.

A few doors down from the restaurant, we met Lisa Trinh from Lucky Seven Cigarettes. Trinh tells us she's terrified every time she comes to work.

"When I close or open, I feel very scared. No safety," Trinh said.

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Trinh says she feels crime in the area is out of control. She tells us the shop's windows have been broken 13 times over the past few years.

Trinh also shared photos and videos of a time when a car drove through the front of their store. The result from this was installing cinder blocks near the entrance to try and prevent that from happening again.

"Just you came here for a half-hour and nobody's coming. How are we supposed to have a business? It's very difficult," Trinh said.

OPD says the unhoused man from the assault was arrested Sunday evening. But the event has only heightened the sense of abandonment felt by many of the people in this neighborhood.

"Most of the business owners here and the residents here are just holding their breath, hoping they won't be the next person who experiences such tragic incidents," Tran said.