OAKLAND – City and police leaders announced Wednesday the arrest of 4 teenagers in a brazen series of break-ins and robberies at fast-food restaurants, gas stations and liquor stores across town.
The announcement by Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her newly hired police chief, Floyd Mitchell, was the conclusion of an investigation into greater than 30 burglaries and robberies, mostly in East Oakland. Along with the announcement of the kids' arrests, Oakland police announced the arrest of a person in early May who’s accused of committing 4 separate burglaries in East Oakland's Highland Park neighborhood in April.
“Although we have seen an overall decrease in the number of violent crimes detected, our work is far from over,” said Mitchell, who took office last month. He and other city officials pointed to crime statistics released weekly by the police. Earlier this week, declines were seen in murders, shootings, assaults, robberies, burglaries and thefts in comparison with the identical time in 2023.
“We will not let up on the gas,” Thao added at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “The pressure is on and we will continue to push to keep our community safe.”
Oakland police didn’t discover the burglary and robbery suspects because they’re minors. They are suspected of stealing money registers while targeting dozens of companies, including at the very least a half dozen on May 29 along Hegenberger Road, International Boulevard and MacArthur Boulevard, police said. They typically struck between 4:30 a.m. and 5:15 a.m.
The 4 teenagers, all 17 years old, have been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and are currently being held in a juvenile jail.
On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California Highway Patrol officers have helped arrest a whole lot of individuals — 440 in total — within the East Bay this yr. While the governor's statement said those arrested were suspected of getting ties to organized crime, automobile thefts and other alleged crimes, it didn’t provide details about who was arrested or what charges, if any, they face. The statement is a component of a month-long media campaign by his administration touting quite a few efforts to scale back crime in Oakland.
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