A 76-year-old great-grandmother from Oakland is being hailed a hero after she confronted a criminal and saved her elderly neighbor from an attempted robbery.
The incident happened earlier this month when Ann Butler was walking just outside her home.
“As I walked past him, he walked out of his car and he ran over and tried to take my purse,” she said.
Video shows a man trying to grab Butler’s purse and as they struggle, she falls to the ground and he starts to drag her.
That’s when Ms. Faye, armed only with a cane, jumped in to help.
“I was yelling and the first thing I know, Faye who has bad knees, came rushing out with her cane, yelling and screaming and he hopped back in his car and drove off,” said Butler.
Ms. Faye, as neighbors call her, happened to be looking out her door at the moment it all started.
Local
“I never thought about it,” she said. “All I know is that she needed help.”
Ms. Faye even called for her German shepherd Troy and ran after the suspect, even throwing her cane to scare him off.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
She said she believes the would-be robber spotted Butler walking from a local restaurant and waited for her.
“Shame, shame on them, that’s all I say is shame on them,” said Ms. Faye. “What kind of upbringing did they have? What kind of drugs are they on to make them do that to a person?”
Neighbors though are not surprised by the great-grandmother’s heroic efforts.
“Ms. Faye is this badass woman, none of us were surprised,” said neighbor Mel Oppenheim. “She is just a tough lady, she knows what she wants, she will get it no matter what and she loves her community and would do anything to protect it.”
Police are still looking for the suspect and said they're glad things didn't turn out worse. They also urge people to call the police rather than confront a criminal.
As for Butler, she's recovering from some scrapes and bruises and very thankful for a neighbor like Ms. Faye.
“She is my hero, I told her that, she is my hero,” said Butler.
