About 100 robbers looted a California gas station in the middle of the night.
Surveillance footage shows dozens of men wearing hoods and masks trying to steal as much stuff as possible at the Oakland station around 4:30 a.m. Friday morning.
The raid appeared to be well-planned and began after a car was deliberately driven into the glass doors of the store.
The accident had barely happened when the robbers arrived and were ready to steal everything they could. In the meantime, they turned the place upside down.
Meanwhile, the police were nowhere to be seen and it seemed the robbers were taking it easy.
Video footage shows the perpetrators laughing as they browse the store shelves looking for items to take with them.
About 100 robbers looted a gas station in Oakland, California, in the middle of the night
The robbers were in no hurry and could be heard on camera grabbing whatever they wanted.
The owner, named Sam, called the Oakland police when he arrived at the 76 and was told to “file an online report.”
The owner told CROWN4 He then attempted to contact OPD Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, but was told he needed to make an appointment.
Police later clarified that the call to police came after the suspects had already left the building.
“Video evidence was later reported to OPD that revealed the scope and details of the incident, including the large number of suspects involved. The incident was immediately designated a Priority 1 incident, and an officer responded to the scene to contact the owner. Detectives are now reviewing the evidence and working directly with the owner of the gas station,” OPD said in a statement.
Days earlier, Oakland’s progressive Mayor Sheng Thao, 38, boasted of a drop in crime in the city, which has been plagued by crime in recent years.
Sheng Thao will face a historic recall election in November amid anger over her failure to get the situation in Oakland under control
Oakland has been hit by violent crime in recent months, including homicides that rose from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year. (Photo) Police investigate a multiple shooting and homicide at an Oakland gas station in January 2023
“Oakland is seeing positive results from new public safety strategies,” the mayor said, claiming it was a “proven, data-driven strategy that focused law enforcement violence prevention and community resources on individuals in Oakland who are most at risk for violence,” the mayor said in a video.
Mayor Thao said that since the implementation of Operation Ceasefire, “violent crime and overall crime have declined significantly and sustainably.”
The mayor could not provide figures showing that crime has decreased in any meaningful way.
Thao, 38, faces a recall election less than two years after she became mayor.
Thao has been battling rising crime and budget problems since taking office in January 2023 after serving on the Oakland City Council.
Oakland voters angry about rising crime in the city in the Bay Area.
They say Thao’s progressive, soft-on-crime policies have emboldened criminals and scared away businesses. It’s a familiar story in many progressive, Democratic cities across the country.
Mayor Thao has previously criticized the rise in crime, saying it began in 2019, before she took office.
But it is lax bail reforms and a lack of successful prosecutions, even for minor offenses, that have led to Oakland’s continued decline.
In the case of Oakland, the city has been hit by violent crime, including murders, in recent months, with the number of homicides rising from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year.
Crime increased by 18 percent in 2023, with property crime increasing by 17 percent and violent crime by 21 percent.
And in the first four months of 2024, the number of home robberies increased by 118 percent compared to the same period last year.
It is astonishing that in 2023 one car was stolen for every 30 residents.
The situation has led to several large companies pulling out of the city, fearing for the safety of their staff and the serious consequences of shoplifting.
The progressive Democratic lawmaker is the first mayor in the city’s history to face impeachment after a campaign to oust her garnered more than 40,000 signatures.
Public support for Thao is waning as former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong has called for her to resign.
“What is really challenging is not only the absence of the mayor, but the absence of other city leaders stepping up right now to make sure that residents and people in the city of Oakland know that there is leadership and that they are working to solve some of these problems,” said LeRonne Armstrong, a former police chief who was fired by Thao.
Last month, federal authorities raided her home. Thao was defiant and angry, insisting she had done nothing wrong and had no plans to step down.
Last month, federal authorities raided her home. Thao was defiant and angry, insisting she had done nothing wrong and had no plans to step down.
Mayor Sheng Thao read from a prepared statement and took no questions, four days after FBI agents removed boxes from the home where she lives with her son and partner, part of an investigation that also included searching two other homes belonging to another family.
Retired Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who is leading the recall campaign, is calling on Thao to resign.
“She should do the honorable thing and resign. The FBI raid is going to be a distraction no matter how you look at it. Even if she’s not charged, it’s going to be a distraction from trying to lead this investigation and lead a city,” Harbin-Forte said.