A brave shopper used a cardboard box to fight off an attacker in California.

Mother-of-one Sasi Oda was walking to a grocery store when she noticed a passerby acting strangely in the Little Saigon area of Oakland, California.

CCTV footage shows Sasi holding a crate, which she used to shield herself when the man suddenly pulled a rock from his pocket on October 31.

The housewife, from Thailand, was then assaulted with punches, but did not let go of the box as she used it to block the attack.

Despite the attacker throwing multiple right and left hooks, the petite Asian woman bravely stood her ground.

She said: 'At that time, I already felt that something bad could happen. I grabbed the box nearby, and he threw stones at me.'

Sasi then used the box to push the attacker away before more onlookers rushed to help her.

Three women shouted at him and threatened him to leave before more people intervened.

The attacker stopped and left the area when there were too many people around.

Sasi added: 'When I leave the house, I have to be careful. And if I feel that something is not normal, I will look for things around me that can be used to protect myself.'

Officials raised concerns that the incident was the latest attack on Asian residents - a phenomenon which triggered the 'Stop Asian Hate' movement.

Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, said he experienced a hate attack in 2021.

He said: 'I was ambushed on 8th and Broadway, and I was lucky that within an hour, my attacker was apprehended. Since then, I have campaigned for more police to take care of the area.'

Sasi and her husband Michael filed a complaint with the local police.

Michael said: 'I'm glad she noticed the abnormality in time and was able to defend herself.'

Asian hate crimes remain a serious issue in the United States.

In a report by the nongovernmental organisation Stop AAPI Hate in 2024, more than half of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults said they experienced some form of hate or discrimination that year.