Former Senator Barbara Boxer Assaulted and Robbed in Oakland

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) was assaulted in Oakland’s Jack London Square neighborhood on Monday, her Twitter account announced. An assailant pushed her and stole her phone. Boxer was not seriously hurt.

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

Boxer, 80, served four terms as senator from California from 1993 until her retirement in 2017.

Police are investigating the strong-arm robbery and said it happened around 1:15 pm.

Oakland has one of the highest crimes rates in the United States. In June, a news crew was the target of an attempted robbery during an interview with the head of Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention.

Last month Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong criticized a decision by the City Council to reallocate $18 million in proposed police spending in the next two years. “We already have a tough time responding to the high number of calls that we get,” he said. “This will make it tougher, having less officers in the field.” But as KTVU reported, the city’s police department actually ended up with more funding.