A San Francisco dispensary owner is speaking out after he was shot seven times and claims to have almost lost his life.
Martin Olive said he is praising his neighbors and medical team for saving his life after 34-year-old Cheasarak Chong rode up on an e-bike, pulled out a gun, and fired over and over.
Crime tape surrounded Olive's Mission District-based dispensary and the shell casing carefully marked by detectives is reminded of the nightmare Olive claims nearly killed him.
"It was a terrifying experience. I've never felt pain like that in my life," he said.
Olive said he first thought it was a prank until he was shot in the face and body before falling to the ground.
"The first one, when my face got hit, it felt like I had a molten cannonball in my face," Olive said. "It was like my body was in so much pain; my soul was trying to extract itself from the pain."
Olive said the whole experience was surreal.
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Security footage released by the San Francisco Police Department showed Chong walking right past Olive into the building where he had an apartment. It's the same building where Olive operates The Vapor Room cannabis dispensary.
Olive said he had never seen Chong before, and as passersby and medical crews helped him, he stared at the shell casing in front of him.
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"A lot of it was like, what did I do? Why me? I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything," he said. "And then I kept thinking, I can't believe I'm going to die on this street."
A standoff between Chong and the SFPD went on into the night, ending in a shootout, killing Chong.
Upon searching his apartment, the department said it found a cache of weapons and ammunition.
"With all that weaponry and ammunition he had, I'm sort of personally convinced he was planning something bigger," Olive said.
Olive said he hopes to find out what Chong's motives and long-term goals were as the SFPD continues investigating the incident.
