Terrifying video shows a gang of masked burglars roaming Bay Area Street at 2 a.m. breaking into cars

A Ring doorbell captures eerie scenes in the California town of Antioch as a gang of at least eight masked people searched parked cars in the middle of the night and looted whatever they could find.

Residents said they were awakened by the commotion at 2 a.m. on July 6, but were too scared to confront the gang.

“When I saw them, I didn’t know what was going on. I was like, ‘I hope they don’t try to go through the garage,'” said Mike Allen, whose car was one of those that was broken into.

He told CROWN 4: “I was like, ‘I’m not going there alone.’ There were about 10.’

The area is generally quiet, spared from the serious crime elsewhere in the troubled Bay Area. But the sheer size of this crime ring stunned the local police.

The shadowy figures can be seen wandering the street and breaking into the vehicles

Police said the attack was unusual, as criminals normally don’t like to break into cars in a large gang

Allen said he saw members of the gang go through his family’s vehicles but felt powerless to stop them.

“They broke into my girlfriend’s car,” he said. “She had her baby bag in the car. They went in there to dig through everything.’

He said his neighbors had similar stories.

“The next morning I saw three other cars down the street doing the same thing,” he added.

The police were called and were on the scene within five minutes.

But the gang had already fled.

Sergeant Price Kendall said the scale of the looting was unusual as thieves usually worked in smaller groups.

“It’s unusual to see a lot of people, a large group, looking into cars and walking around the neighborhood,” Kendall said.

Sergeant Price Kendall said the crimes were unusual and many of the vehicles appeared unlocked

He did not say whether any arrests had been made, but noted that many of the cars appeared to be unlocked.

He said the thieves seemed to have liked cars they could rob with minimum noise and maximum speed.

“There were certainly crimes of opportunity,” Kendall said.

‘One of the videos shows that they were able to walk to the car. The car was more than likely unlocked.’

Antioch is 70 kilometers inland from San Francisco – a city where theft is on the rise. It falls within the jurisdiction of the Costa Contra District Attorney. DA Diana Becton’s election campaign was handed $1 million by billionaire George Soros, who is known for supporting progressive prosecutors critics say are soft on crime.

Last week, reports emerged of a gang of balaclava-wearing teens attacking mothers and nannies in broad daylight in one of San Francisco’s wealthiest neighborhoods and stealing their cell phones.

The group is believed to have been responsible for 11 thefts in one week at the end of June, said Thomas Harvey, captain of the San Francisco Police Department’s Mission District.

The attacks are primarily in the Noe Valley area of ​​the city, where the average home is valued at $1.7 million.

One suspect has been arrested and police are chasing the others as robberies across the city are up 11.9 percent year over year.

Shoppers can be seen in the Noe Valley town square. The district, where homes cost an average of $1.7 million, is now seeing a spate of attacks on mothers, carried out by a gang of teenagers

Catherine Stefani, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, said the brutal attacks on the women were deeply troubling and called on police to step up patrols.

“I am incredibly alarmed by this and think it highlights the need for more police presence in the area, especially given what is happening in Noe Valley,” she said. The San Francisco Chronicle.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, especially women, is a top priority for me and I have asked SFPD to step up patrols in the area.”

A woman, who gave her initials as CW, told the paper she was on her way to pick up her daughter from the nursery when she was attacked.

She said she was pushing an empty stroller when a person wearing a gray balaclava jumped out of a car and slammed her onto the sidewalk when he snatched her phone.

“I was aggressively pushed to the ground,” she said.

“While I appreciate that phones were stolen, the violence associated with these robberies is much more concerning.

“This isn’t just a phone snatch situation. This is a targeted, violent attack on mothers and caregivers.”

Noe Valley is one of San Francisco’s most affluent neighborhoods

Noe Valley is nicknamed ‘Stroller Valley’ due to its popularity with young families

Another woman, Laura, a daycare worker, said she was punched in the back of the head while waiting for a train, where she was attacked as she grabbed her phone and jumped into a waiting car.

“The first thing I thought was that they didn’t have to hit me, that they didn’t have to be so aggressive,” she told the paper.

“Then the fear of knowing they’d taken my unlocked cell phone and all my credit cards were linked to my Apple Pay.”

A third victim told the paper she was across the street from a cafe, talking on her phone, when a young man in a black balaclava began to follow her.

She said she felt “heaviness” on her back and when she turned her head to look, the teen grabbed her hand holding the phone and punched her in the face, ran off with her phone, leaving her in tears and shocked .

Nicole Saerom, who was walking nearby, said she felt the same assailant follow her but then reversed course and then saw him attack the other woman.

“I heard her scream so loud,” Saerom said.

‘It went so fast. My heart was racing. I immediately felt fear, deep fear.’

“There’s a problem in San Francisco if daily robberies become the new normal.”