One of the people who was suspected of stealing two men’s Rolex watches in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 2019 has been given a four-year prison term.
Tuesday, Dashawn Pierson, who is 22 years old, went to court in San Francisco to hear his sentence from Judge Loretta Giorgi.
Pierson and two other attackers, Akeem Smith and Christopher Jefferson, were caught before for robbing and beating two elderly leaders of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Walter Wong and Chang Hwang, with force. This happened in July 2019.
The case did not go to trial because Pierson’s lawyer and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office allegedly made a deal about the assault and elder abuse charges.
Pierson should get out of prison later this year, though, because he has already spent most of his time there before being sentenced. He was caught in October 2019 when he was 19 years old.
Smith, who is 22 years old, made a similar deal, while Jefferson, who is 24 years old, still has a case going on. In 2020, the two guys were caught.
Through an interpreter, Wong told The San Francisco Standard that he “still hopes to get his watch back someday.”
He also said that he was happy and glad that the men were getting the punishment they deserved.
The court told Pierson to pay Wong back for the Rolex, which was a big deal.
On July 15, 2019, Wong and Hwang were crossing Stockton near Pacific in San Francisco’s Chinatown when the event happened.
A Security Camera Caught Everything
A security camera caught Pierson, Smith, and Jefferson as they were about to cross the street right before the daytime theft.
Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Andraychek said at the time, “The three do seem to be talking and walking quickly with some purpose as if they are going somewhere or have something in mind.”
Wong, who was 56 years old at the time, was picked up and thrown to the ground by the attackers. Hwang, who was 69 years old, was also thrown to the ground when he tried to help his friend.
After taking Wong’s Rolex and running away, the three attackers took Wong and Hwang to the hospital to treat their head wounds.
Robbery video:
After the attack, people in San Francisco’s Chinatown rallied around the victims and spoke out against what was the eighth violent attack in open daylight in the area as of July 2019.
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