An Oakland restaurant owner was robbed by multiple suspects after his vehicle crashed and turned upside down during a Mad Max-style car chase.
The harrowing event took place early Friday morning on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, California – a city compared to a hellscape in the Mad Max film series, where gangs roam in groups of vehicles looking for fuel.
Photos and videos show the victim's Honda Accord flipping and landing on the Lake Merritt hiking trail, while witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots after the crash.
The chase began at International Plaza, a strip mall in the Little Saigon district that has been targeted by burglars in the past. KTVU reported.
The victim, who has not been identified, saw three cars chasing him and tried to drive away before the alleged robbers pointed a gun at him and stole his belongings.
'The lead car rolled over and crashed. (The) following cars stopped and several (people) dressed in black jumped out and started surrounding the crashed car,” a videographer who witnessed the incident said. CRON 4.
An Oakland restaurant owner was robbed by multiple suspects Friday morning after his vehicle crashed and turned upside down during a Mad Max-style chase
The victim, who has not been identified, saw three cars chasing him and tried to drive away before the alleged robbers pointed a gun at him and stole his belongings.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is facing a recall amid a surge in violent crimes in the city
Surveillance video obtained by police shows the victim was chased by a Dodge Charger, a Cadillac and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk for about a mile on Lakeshore Avenue.
“One of the vehicles collided with the victim's vehicle, causing the victim's vehicle to overturn,” wrote Oakland Police Officer Rosalia Lopez.
The victim eventually turned around near Lake Merritt and was surrounded by the suspects, including one who claimed to have pointed a gun at him.
His wife, who was 'scared and frustrated' by the robbery, said: 'He noticed four cars driving in so he drove away.
“They're pointing a gun at him. They took his gun and money. It is a small gun to protect themselves,” she added.
Authorities said suspects fired multiple gunshots as they fled the scene, but the victim was not hit.
Officer Lopez said, “An armed individual exited one of the vehicles and took the victims' personal belongings before fleeing the area.
“As the three vehicles fled the area, the victim (heard) gunshots. The victim was not struck by gunfire during the incident.”
The harrowing event took place on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, California – a city often compared to a hellscape in the Mad Max film series (pictured), where gangs roam in groups of vehicles in search of fuel.
Both witnesses and the victim reported being put on hold when they called 911 during the chase and robbery.
The videographer said, “While all of this was going on, I and at least four other people had called 911 and were on hold.”
“I was on the phone with 911 while they chased me!” the victim told witnesses.
The suspects were last seen in cars on Lakeshore Avenue heading toward Interstate 580, authorities said.
The Mad Max-style carjacking occurred less than a week after an Oakland 7-Eleven security guard was shot and killed during a store robbery.
James Johnson, 59, was shot by a suspect inside the supermarket as the security guard tried to stop the suspect from stealing merchandise last week.
James Johnson, 59, was shot and killed by a suspect at a 7-Eleven in Oakland last week after he got tired of trying to stop them from stealing merchandise
Johnson worked at the 7-Eleven in the Adams Point neighborhood for about two years and lived in a house behind the store
The Oakland DA was elected in 2022 and has been widely criticized as the crime rate has risen rapidly in Oakland and the entire Bay Area
Johnson's daughter, whose name was Snow, said her father worked at the store for about two years and lived in the building behind it in the Adams Point neighborhood.
“He protected the family at 7-Eleven because I know how my father is doing. He would do that for everyone he loved and loved,” Snow said through tears KPIX 5 News.
Investigators say they have surveillance footage that captured the crime but have not yet arrested the suspect.
As Snow broke down in front of the store, she revealed that she and her father had recently lost her mother, Julie Johnson, just ten months ago.
“She died four days before my birthday and I just heard from my little brother that my dad died,” Snow said.
Violent crime is rampant in the Democrat-run Californian city, with business owners now comparing the area to a 'battlefield' akin to wartime Vietnam.
Residents should leave their car windows open to prevent the glass from breaking if thieves break in.
There have been 3,469 robberies in Oakland this year, including 1,554 involving firearms, a 36 percent increase from the previous year.
In August, Oakland NAACP leaders called for a state of emergency due to rising crime rates and blamed Price for it
Restaurants in Oakland are losing thousands a week as diners' cars and jewelry are robbed during meals, while locals are now avoiding the city's downtown core.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is facing a recall as a result, with hundreds of local residents forming a group called Save Alameda for Everyone in an effort to oust Price from her position because of her soft-on-crime approach.
In October, volunteers took to the streets of East Oakland in an effort to recall Price, who was elected Alameda County district attorney in 2022.
And in August, Oakland NAACP leaders called for a state of emergency over rising crime rates, attributing it to the defunding of the police movement and Price.