>> he came across very quickly and pushed me. just like that, his life changed. next at 5:00, the victim of another unprovoked attack speaking out. what do we do here? making it safe for the community is complicated. we are learning how the pandemic only underscores the magnitude of this problem. incredible video of the train plowing into a truck in oakland. the truck driver escape injury by jumping out of the way seconds before the accident. santa clara sees another case of a dangerous variant just as it prepares to expand its reopening. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future,this is abc7 news. good evening. >> thank you for joining us. we will start with three important stories tonight beginning with the train

accident in oakland and the driver of the truck that was stuck on the tracks jumping out just in the nick of time. >> unbelievable video. everybody is okay, fortunately. the increasing fear among asian americans in san francisco and the 83-year-old man talking about what happened. his experience reveals the best and worst humanity has to offer. the new questions about how the city said should react and respond to this growing problem. an older asian man in san francisco was in the hospital recovering after he and a woman were attacked yesterday. today police did make an arrest in that attack. >> it comes as another 83-year- old man who was seriously injured on valentine's day speaks about his own horrific ordeal. dion lim joins us with a story you will only see here. this is just getting out of control.

>> reporter: it really is because there is not a day that goes by where i do not hear from a victim or victim's family. sadly, the majority of these instances never make it to air because they are afraid to speak out. that is why i so badly wanted to share these stories with you today. >> i am so afraid to walk the streets and did my errands because you never know what is going to happen. >> reporter: the terror that gordon is experiencing stems from what happened to him on valentine's day. he noticed a man staring at him while he walked to a senior center for his daily lunch. >> i knew that i was in trouble because he stared at me with a look. he came across very quickly and pushed me. i fell backwards. >> reporter: gordon broke his hip in three places. >> three people helped me. they were so kind. i could not believe it. one of the drug dealers went to his car and gave me a cane.

>> reporter: he spent nearly a month and a hospital and in rehab. he is still in immense pain. >> horrible experience. i would not wish this to happen to anybody. >> reporter: similar experiences have been happening across the bay area. earlier today a man sat with his photos of his father after he was brutally knocked to the ground on wednesday morning. a 77-year-old woman was also attacked around the same time. unlike gordon, his father fell forward and his neck is broken in several places. sf pd arrested stephen jenkins for assault an elderly abuse. the man arrested in this other case was quickly arrested as well that he has a long any record including at least four cases of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon. i shared this news with gordon. >> oh my gosh. i wish they would just keep him in jail for a period of time. >> reporter: while he does not

know the solution of ending this epidemic of assaults on asian american seniors, he shares these words to everybody. >> i just want to say be careful of your surroundings. it could happen to you. do you know what i mean? >> reporter: it is so true. gordon is from hawaii but has lived in san francisco for 40 years senses despite his fears he's not going anywhere. he loves this city fiercely. there's also a gofundme set up for ngoc pham, the man attacked on market street yesterday. you can find it on our website abc7news.com. >> you and i have been talking about the situation for a while now. people may be surprised to hear how many videos you get every day. a lot of these crimes are going unreported. is that why families are speaking out? >> reporter: yes. like me they are fed up and angry. they say that asia as have been attacked for far too long and it's time the world pays attention so something will change. i am sorry i'm getting emotional

but this is what i deal with on a daily basis. the son of the man that was attacked on market street told me he wants justice. he said, someone has got to stop this brutality and make sure my dad is the last victim. whether or not that happens, we shall see. at the rate things are going to disassociating -- it is excruciating to cover. >> we know how hard it is for you to speak about these things. for all of the families dealing with this, it is a horrific situation. finding a solution is complicated. the mayor is acknowledging that mental health challenges, drug addiction and covid-19 are exacerbating a worrying situation. thank you. now let's turn to lyanne melendez who has more coverage. >> reporter: it is complicated

. we are certainly not saying that the homeless is responsible. the mayor is saying that they had to put things into neutral care during this pandemic and not everybody has received the help that they need. today, the interim director of the department of homelessness resigned to take on a new role to support youth impacted by covid. getting back on track will be a challenge. the tents that you see throughout the city would give you the impression that the number of homeless people has grown significantly in san francisco. it is not true. the reality is that more people have been living outside since covid-19 because shelter bed have been significantly reduced. drop-in centers are operating under limited hours and capacity. during the name day that the closure of the library. that's a refuge for many homeless people. >> there's less places to go to and less support given to the population. >> reporter: it has been harder during the pandemic. >> it is very challenging

because you are working very closely with people. just like all of our essential workers they have put themselves at risk. >> reporter: what has also spiked is the number of drug users. according to the health department, 700 people died of an overdose in 2020, mostly from fentanyl. that is a 60% increase from the previous year. >> we have had more requests for nasal narcan that we have been giving out even from people that are not using just because overdoses have been so prevalent on the block. >> reporter: with its unexpected surplus, the city will put an additional $1.6 million into the overdose prevention efforts reaching out to those living in single room occupancy hotels and on the street. the city also hopes to see things improve once the homeless population is vaccinated. >> as we begin the process of reopening, we are hoping that some of these things will change. it will take a lot of work. >> reporter: that will begin by helping the approximately 1600

homeless people currently living in hotels leased by the city. >> to work with folks that are living in these hotels, to help them safely transition to appropriate housing placements. >> reporter: that surplus that the city is getting about 10 million of that money will be used to purchase and develop new affordable housing projects. up there is a little bit of help there. lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. now to a big story. an amtrak train collided with a truck that was stuck on the tracks. all of it was caught on video. hard to believe that everybody is okay, but they are. this happened just before 9:00 a.m. near east 10th and fruitvale. leslie brinkley explains exactly what happened. >> reporter: 9:00 a.m.

a costar train hit a dump truck stuck on the tracks as recorded by a driver waiting at the crossing. >> it was just an accident. i got stuck. >> reporter: the driver of the truck and his passenger got out just before the collision. the truck driver said he had a full load and was headed to the dump when he tried to drive up over the track and into the train crossing on fruitvale avenue. >> all of a sudden i saw that i was stuck in that was when i saw the light. i said, oh my god. i tried to back it up and go forward. nothing. i got off the truck right away and ran all the way over there to try to stop him to see me so he would slow down.

>> reporter: two engine the truck down the track 20 yards. remarkably, nobody was injured even the passengers that were on board going from seattle to los angeles. >> it just started slowing down and was kind of a halt but not too abrupt. everybody was safe. it wasn't too scary. then they told us that we hit something and we had to get off. >> reporter: sonia chose to stay off. others waited and reported. amtrak to client to go on camera about the accident. union pacific officials are here on the scene investigating how this happened. leslie brinkley, abc 7 news. >> amtrak just provided some new information to leslie. they said that the train to try to stop after seeing the truck and the driver out there but a train that is traveling at 55

miles per hour can take approximately one mile to stop. the oakland zoo closed because of the weather today. you can see this american alligator that does not seem to mind the weather too much. perhaps we should all be so laid-back about it. sandhya patel is here with the weather. >> i hope you are enjoying the weather as much as that alligator. let me show you live doppler 7 right now. let's get you into street-level radar where it is coming down. moderate pockets around here. it is a slippery commute around the peninsula from burlingame to san bruno and skyline boulevard seen some light to moderate rain around 880 as you will notice heading into story road, 680 s. bay and around the north bay we are also seeing light to moderate rain.

as he will notice, it is level i. light to moderate rain that becomes isolated for tomorrow morning and gusty over the hills. the hour by hour forecast will show you the rain showers tapering as we head into the late-night hours. i will be back with the rest of the forecast, which includes a change of seasons. >> thank you. still ahead, an alarming variant of the covid-19 by resurfacing again in santa clara county. this one appears to be more contagious and more resistant. the heart beat of the neighborhood but not for long.

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santa clara county may enter the orange tier as early s as next week , but that may be complicated by a strain of covid-19. chris nguyen has more. >> reporter: tim lee and his team are celebrating the grand opening of luck with beer garden. this project has been in the works for nearly 2 years. >> we have a menu and a strategy so it feels good that we are making progress. >> reporter: the reopening comes as the second case of the

south african variant has been confirmed in the county. officials are urging the public to stay vigilant and avoid nonessential travel. >> wear a mask at avoid gatherings, especially in doors. keep your distance and get vaccinated when you are offered the opportunity. >> reporter: infectious disease experts at the south african strain appears to be more contagious and more resistant to some vaccines. >> the companies that are making the vaccines can make newer vaccines that can address the variance themselves, but that will take time. >> reporter: a reminder that the community can keep each other safe. >> we want to prevent one virus from moving to another person which could become even more resistant. >> reporter: the steps can help in keeping the economy open. >> we do not want to let this variant get out of control. >> reporter: in mountain view, chris nguyen, abc 7 news.

san mateo county is switching to smaller community clinics for vaccinations. the superset supervisor says that they want to target areas that are most impacted by covid. the clinics will be open without the need for an appointment. when more vaccine becomes available, they will reopen their mass vaccination sites. as of today the county says one third of adults have been vaccinated with at least one dose. nearly all first and second dose appointments have been rescheduled that were previously affected by a supply issue. they reduced additional doses and will soon be getting johnson & johnson doses as well. they are vaccinating all groups that are currently eligible according to state guidance. the rain is not out of your the rain is not out of your just yet. like, seeing my mom. it's unthinkable to me that i can't see her and i can't hug her. not being able to hug is just like somebody has to tie me down. touching someone to say i love you, to hug you... those are the things that i miss.

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we have seen steady showers but thankfully no flooding around the bay area. it will take a lot more to make up for the rainfall deficit. sandhya patel is back with more on the rain. >> it is nice to see but we definitely need a lot more in the coming months if we want to make a dent in that deficit which is right now standing at 38 to 42%. we can see where the rain is falling right now. we will get you into street- level radar. san francisco went down the

peninsula as you will notice around ocean avenue it is wet. you need umbrellas if you are headed into the east bay. this is where the moderate pocket of rain will move in. 5:27 into oakland and 5:24 into alameda. santa cruz mountains are getting their share as well. the wind has been gusty but mainly over the higher elevations. temperatures right now are 40s, it is out the door grabbed the jacket. we have a look from the tahoe camera. it is raining at lake level but they will soon see that switch over to snow at the highest elevations doppler is tracking snow as you will notice but it has been mixed. here is a re is at the winter weather advisory in effect until midnight on saturday. 6 to 12 inches of snow expected about 5500 feet. a live look from the san jose camera. we are seeing raindrops on the lens. it's a level i with light to moderate rain switching over the isolated early morning

showers and remaining a little bit windy over the higher terrain. at 6:00 tonight, hang onto your umbrellas as you are stepping out. you will still need them for parts of the area. those showers will taper with a couple of lingering early morning showers at commute time 5:00 to 7:00. bennett is pretty much done for the bay area. in terms of additional rainfall total, anywhere from a 10th of an inch to about 4/10 of an inch. so far rainfall totals have ranged from about a 10th in the driest locations to nearing an inch in the north bay. 30s and 40s for tomorrow morning and tomorrow afternoon will remain on the cool side but a little bit milder than where we were today. we are looking at mid 50s to 60s with partly cloudy skies. here is a look at the seven-day forecast. isolated early morning showers with a level i system. that wind stand and spring arrives at 2:37 on saturday.

as the seasons change we will bring you sunshine and milder weather that carries over into next week. tuesday and thursday we will see temperatures in the low to mid 70s. it will feel like spring. >> thank you so much.

here is a reminder. you can watch our newscasts live or on-demand through our app connected for apple tv, android tv, and is on fire tv and roku. finally, we go to san go carlos. there's a going out of business sale attracted customers from far and wide and years past.

>> it is not a sad story for once. wayne freedman spent time today at the j and m hobby house. >> reporter: this building is a landmark in's and parlors. not only for the outside but also for all of the memories inside. >> it stands for joe and marcel. those were my parents. >> reporter: cliff took the place over from his parents 40 years ago with his wife. since then it has become a one- stop institution for locals like todd who first came here at eight years old. >> it still looks the same. >> it is just customer service. miniature is our world. >> reporter: where else can somebody build an air force or purchaser railroad complete with buildings and shrubbery. >> people come to us to get lost in something that they are passionate about and they love. >> reporter: back when they open, we lived in a more

tactile world. we did not have computer programs and video games. people really did use their hands. the pandemic, oddly enough, brought a lot of that back. all good things have to end. at the end of this month they are retiring. they are closing the place up. >> we will miss the people. >> we already. we went about four years longer than we thought. >> reporter: it has been about 30 years. they have survived with a formula. >> i think that we provide some sanity in a crazy world. >> reporter: you will remember how much of that sanity still comes from within. wayne freedman, abc 7 news. world news tonight is coming up next. we thank you for joining us. >> thank you for watching. a reminder that the next newscast is coming up at 6:00.

you can connect with us anytime on abc7news.com ♪ here's to the duers. to all the people who realize they can du more

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tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the deadly shooting rampage in atlanta. authorities now revealing new details tonight about the alleged gunman charged with eight counts of murder. opening fire at three different spas. eight people killed, including six women of asian descent. tonight, growing out rage across this country. amid growing fear among asian-americans. what's being done to stop the hate? and the county sheriff who will no longer be the spokesperson on this case, one day after he described what the suspect told investigators, going on to say yesterday was a really bad day for him. tonight, president biden ordering flags lowered to half staff. the president and vice president traveling to atlanta tomorrow. steve osunsami with late reporting. also tonight, president biden late today revealing his goal of 100 million shots in 100