Wheelchair-Bound Elderly Man Latest Victim Of Stockton's Gold Chain Robberies

STOCKTON (CBS13) - The Stockton gold chain robbery trend reaches a new low as an elderly wheelchair-bound man is the latest victim.

The disabled 73-year-old man was only a few blocks from his home when a pair of robbers attacked.

Roughed up and robbed, Donald Oxley had no way to call for help when the gold chain thieves attacked him Tuesday afternoon.

"He can't talk, so he can't scream for help," said relative Brenda Smith.

A stroke and other medical conditions left Oxley wheelchair-bound and paralyzed everywhere except his left arm.

"He couldn't fight at all, even if one guy came after him, he couldn't fight back," said Smith.

The pair of thieves got away with Oxley's 18-inch gold-braided necklace, complete with a cross medallion.

It was a gift from his wife, who died two years ago.

"They grabbed him and it cut him," said Smith.

The grandfather is a familiar face on this usually quiet street.

"He's an old man; he doesn't bother anybody," said Smith.

That's why people on the block are outraged by the attack.

"I just feel really bad," said one neighbor.

Oxley's family has heard about Stockton's growing gold chain robbery problem but never thought thieves would go after their loved one.

"They are going after a handicap. I hope they catch him," said Smith.

Police say gold chain thieves have gone after children and the elderly. Now the disabled can be added to the list.