The fall of the REAL Oakland Raiders: Two suspected pirates are arrested for brazen raids on yachts and houseboats across San Francisco Bay – where they stole treasures then sunk the vessels
Two suspects suspected of targeting vessels in a California estuary have been arrested by the Coast Guard – after months of thefts and fights with boaters.
At least one suspect – who has not been named – has been charged with possession of stolen property.
Investigators believe two individuals committed most of the thefts in the Oakland Estuary, between Oakland and Alameda and near San Francisco.
“There has been an increase in crime on the waterway, and this is likely due to some newly anchored individuals who have recently acquired a sailboat and anchored in the Oakland Estuary,” Oakland Police spokesman Paul Chambers said. , said. Fox News Digital.
Now detectives are reaching out to victims and local harbormasters as the investigation deepens.
So-called ‘pirates’ have been raiding larger boats in the Oakland Estuary for months, according to local residents – and the arrest of a few ‘suspects’ was announced this month
In August, one woman posted a photo of two men she claimed were ‘actively stalking and stealing’. Community members rely on watchdog groups to know which marinas are being targeted. It is not clear if the men are the two arrested by the Coast Guard
Other residents’ photos of the small boats allegedly used by ‘pirates’ as they looted other craft around the estuary
The thieves navigate to larger boats and loot them, taking everything they deem valuable – including the car.
Once they are done, they either sink the ships or dump whatever is left of the boats miles away in the harbor or along its coastlines.
Oakland police received a $166,000 state grant from the Department of Boating and Waterways and are in the process of establishing a 90-day cleanup project plan.
They aim to remove most of the derelict vessels from the estuary by December.
The department is joining forces with the Coast Guard and the Alameda Police to crack down on crime – after months of community outrage.
During a municipal meeting in September, several residents shared alleged anecdotes of their attacks with the thieves.
One woman recalled once rescuing a man in the middle of the night after the ‘pirates’ cut his sailboat line during an argument and left him stranded in the water.
“If there had been any wind at the time, I wouldn’t have been able to go out there and save this young man who had no car and no ability to sail that boat,” the woman said.
Residents in Oakland and neighboring Alameda pledged to meet in watchdog groups in August and conduct much of their business on Facebook.
At least one suspect has been charged with possession of stolen property, and two individuals in particular are believed to have committed most of the thefts
The US Coast Guard, Oakland and Alameda police team up to catch the criminals
Oakland police plan to use a $166,000 state grant to remove abandoned and scrapped vessels from the water, with the effort ending around December
On August 11, one local, Marianne Armand, identified two men she saw regularly in the area.
‘Oakland/Alameda people – HIGH ALERT!!! – these guys are actively stalking and stealing,’ she wrote.
‘Several incidents at EYC (Encinal Yacht Club) but no proof. We have several calls to the police but they can’t do anything unless we catch them.
If you see them, take pictures and call the police. We followed them out of our marina on Wednesday night. They circled back on Thursday night.’
She attached images to the post showing two bearded men sitting on top of a white dinghy.
One man wore a gray hoodie with a vest and sunglasses, and the other wore a black winter coat with a camouflage bucket hat covering half of his face.
The photo was printed and pasted near the entrance gate to a local marina with a note: ‘Attention. Seen trolling around OYC (Oakland Yacht Club), EYC and the entire Marina Village. Early AM & at dusk – theifs (sic)!’
Days later, Armand’s husband, Dan Hill, uploaded photos of several stolen boats along with a call to action for Alameda residents.
‘Alameda boat friends!! Let’s get a patrol going at night,” he wrote.
‘Donated boat with spotlight. I have a yellow/white turn signal to use. Start shifts. Just make a presence and run these a**holes away!’
Commenters under the post labeled local authorities ‘rent-a-cop’, with one person writing: ‘Why are the Alameda police essentially aiding and abetting them? Why don’t they ask them for proof of ownership and then escort them away and confiscate the boats?’
Hill said he is working with the Coast Guard, which has “initiated a report on all of these activities.”
It is unclear if the men in the photo are the men who were arrested.