A man was dragged by a vehicle on Monday after a woman stole his iPhone and he ran after her to get it back.
Vincent Ng stopped by a gas station in Arcadia, California, when he was approached by a woman who asked to use his cell phone for an emergency.
Despite his instinct telling him otherwise, Ng complied because he wanted to help the woman.
The woman pretended to make a phone call then ran into a white SUV in an effort to rob the iPhone and flee.
Ng chased after the robber but ended up being dragged around the corner by the vehicle.
A woman walked up to Vincent Ng at a gas station in Arcadia, California and asked to use his phone because she had an emergency
She pretended to make a call and then fled to a white SUV that was parked at the exit of the gas station waiting for her
Ng noticed her running and chased her. ‘Adrenaline was pumping through my veins’ he said
Vincent Ng, pictured, posted the surveillance video on Facebook and narrated it to spread the word so that this doesn’t happen to others
‘My first instinct was to try to get my phone and I ran after her,’ Ng told KTLA. ‘I was holding on to her hair and the car was moving. The door shut on me and I was kind of pinched in between the door.’
Ng suffered several cuts, scratches and bruises from the encounter.
‘Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I was like “oh my god, what just happened”.’ he said.
The victim said he considers himself lucky he was not hit by another vehicle as he was being dragged.
The woman jumped into the backseat of the vehicle but Ng managed to grab her by the hair as she attempted to shut the door on him
The car pulled out of the gas station, dragging Ng along with it around the corner. ‘It could have been way worse. I could’ve been run over or even killed,’ he said
He suffered several cuts, scratches and bruises from the encounter. He shared photos of his injuries in a Facebook post
According to Ng, the crime was committed by three people, who were identified by authorities as suspects in previous multiple robberies specifically targeting Asian communities in Southern California.
In a Facebook post, Ng narrated the incident.
‘I want to share this security footage to hopefully prevent this from happening to anyone else,’ he said in the video.
‘In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have fought back. I would have avoided some injuries and it could have been way worse. I could’ve been run over or even killed.
‘Everything happened so quickly and I wasn’t really thinking in the heat of things.’
‘At the end of the day, I want people to know that they can’t go around picking on Asian minorities thinking they can just take advantage of them.
‘During these times, we should work together to help communities become stronger and united,’ he said.
The crime was supposedly committed by three people known for targeting Asian Americans. ‘At the end of the day, I want people to know that they can’t go around picking on Asian minorities thinking they can just take advantage of them,’ Ng said