Former Sen. Barbara Boxer attacked in California

Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) was attacked in Oakland, Calif., on Monday but not seriously injured, according to a statement on her official Twitter account.

Boxer, 80, was allegedly pushed in the back by an assailant who stole her cellphone before jumping into a waiting car, according to her statement.

The Oakland Police Department told The Hill that a victim was walking in the 300 block of 3rd Street at 1:15 p.m. when they were “approached by a suspect” who “forcefully took loss from the victim, and fled in a nearby waiting vehicle.”

The department, which did not identify the victim, said the incident is being investigated by the Oakland Police Department’s robbery section. 

Authorities are offering up to $2,000 in reward money for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

The statement posted to Boxer’s Twitter account said the former senator is “thankful that she was not seriously injured.”

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

The incident reportedly took place in Jack London Square, a historic waterfront neighborhood of Oakland, according to Boxer’s statement.

Boxer represented California in Congress from 1983 until 2017, first in the House before being elected to the Senate in 1992.

She announced in January 2015 that she would not run for reelection. She said she would continue working on “the issues that I love” through her political action committee, PAC for a Change, CNN reported at the time.

“I am never going to retire,” Boxer said, according to the network. “The work is too important.”