Money raised for Fresno family attacked at vendor booth

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Valentine's Day took a violent turn for one family as a man attacked them while robbing their vendor booth at Tulare and Third Street in southeast Fresno.

The crime was caught on camera and posted to social media, where it was quickly viewed thousands of times.

TikTok Influencer and Local gas station manager Akram Mohsin wanted to help.

He teamed up with a Southern California influencer, Jesus Morales, to create a GoFundMe to help the family-owned business.

The grandparents who are the original owners have been selling flowers in Fresno for more than 30 years.

"It's more like a family tradition," Mohsin said. "For somebody to come and attack them and hurt them, I know how that feels being a family business as well. So we were able to make that happen."

Their granddaughter, Kamelia Beltran, recorded the video.

RELATED: Young street vendor recounts being attacked on Valentine's Day

The suspect allegedly assaulted her mom and aunt and stabbed her 77-year-old grandfather in the hand.

She says she was upset because no one stopped to help.

"People were just passing by honking, some people were just looking," Beltran said. "Other people, I don't even know what was going through their heads. Some people weren't even calling the cops."

But now the community *is stepping up in a big way.

In just two days, dozens have donated, helping Akram and Jesus nearly reach their goal.

"I am very thankful that people that don't even know us are doing this for us," Kamelia said.

Authorities have identified the suspect as 21-year-old Martin Chavez. He was arrested days after the incident and then charged with four counts of second-degree robbery.

The victims say they've received multiples death threats due to sharing the video online.

But despite the hurdles, they hope to keep the business going.

"If we can do it one time and survive, then we can do it a million other times and survive as well," Kamelia said.

"We are all one community," Mohsin said. "We are one Fresno, we want to be here to support you guys and this is my way of showing it. Don't be scared. You got to go out and attack it the next day because that's yours. You fought for 20-plus years, don't be afraid now. Your whole community has your back."

The grandparents are out of town, but Akram says he hopes to surprise them with the cash when they are back.

If you would like to help, you can visit the GoFundMe page.