OAKLAND, Calif. — A California man chased away would-be thieves with a machete when the men were attacking his parents.

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Surveillance video showed four people approach an elderly couple of Asian heritage and attempt to rob them, KGO reported.

The son of the couple, who did not want to be identified and did not want his neighborhood revealed, said the incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. PDT on Monday, the television station reported.

The man’s parents were sitting on their front porch after they had gone grocery shopping, according to KGO.

One of the thieves grabbed a gold chain from the woman’s neck and grabbed a cellphone and keys from her husband, the television station reported.

“I heard my mom screaming and that’s when I ran out,” the couple’s son told KGO. “If I hadn’t come out they would have done a lot worse.”

The couple’s son had been changing his clothes when he heard the commotion outside his home. He ran outside barefoot and grabbed a nearby machete to prevent the men from entering the residence.

The man added that he wants to see the men responsible for the attack “locked away for 10 years minimum,” KGO reported.

Cox Media Group