Shocking moment mob of gunmen attack security guard and rob truck full of tobacco and cigarettes in crime-ridden Oakland
- The robbery happened outside a 7-Eleven in the Grand Lake neighborhood
- There have been no arrests in connection to the robbery to on Sturday
- Oakland has seen a 35 percent in robberies this year
By Germania Rodriguez Poleo For Dailymail.Com[1]
Published: 12:59, 27 November 2023 | Updated: 13:12, 27 November 2023
Security footage captured the shocking moment a mob of gunmen attacked an armed guard before robbing a truck full of cigarettes in broad daylight in Oakland.
The robbery happened outside at a 7-Eleven in Oakland’s Grand Lake neighborhood on Saturday afternoon.
Video of the scene shows eight masked robbers swarm the security guard with their guns drawn before they take his gun and Taser.
The gunmen then moved on to the truck, going inside to take large containers of cigarettes.
Several people were in the parking area and store and witnessed the robbery, with many even taking pictures and calling 911 as the brazen crime[2] unfolded.
a mob of gunmen attacked an armed guard before robbing a truck full of cigarettes in broad daylight in Oakland
The gunmen then moved on to the truck, going inside to take large containers of cigarettes
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The entire robbery lasted about 90 seconds and the gunmen reportedly got away with tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes. There have been no arrests.
A witness told CBS News there was nothing anybody could do, as the robbers were heavily armed, some with extended magazines.
It was not the first time robbers target trucks delivering cigarettes, which is why an armed guard was present in the first place to accompany the driver and secure the drop-off.
The 7-Eleven’s owner told CBS that Bay Area robbers have previously specifically targeted cigarettes because they can be easily sold on the street.
There have been 3,279 robberies this year in Oakland, a 35 percent increase from the previous year.
Restaurants in Oakland have been losing[3] thousands a week as diners have their cars and jewelry robbed mid meal – with locals now avoiding the city’s downtown area.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is facing a recall as a result. Hundreds of locals have started a group, named Save Alameda for Everyone, in a bid to oust Price from her position because of her soft-on-crime approach.
Over just one weekend, two beloved restaurant spots closed their doors after years of service because of the rampant car burglaries and violent crime on their doorsteps.
The entire robbery lasted about 90 seconds and the gunmen reportedly got away with tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is facing a recall as a result of the chaos
French-Vietnamese eatery Le Cheval closed its doors after 38 years, as did Galeto Brazilian Steakhouse on the same block.
Other small business owners, including shopkeepers and gas station workers, previously announced a one-day strike to show how the out of control crime was affecting the local economy.
Derreck Johnson, owner of Home of Chicken and Waffles, said: ‘Every day we struggle with not wanting to lay off our employees.
‘I had a group from Miami get robbed at gunpoint on a Saturday afternoon, all their jewelry taken.
That should not be my priority. That should not be my job, to make sure that my customers are safe while they’re walking the streets in Oakland.’
Many of Johnson’s patrons have had their luggage stolen from their cars, or been robbed at gunpoint while coming in and out of the restaurant.
As scared business owners liken the area to something out of a war flick, leaders of the NAACP’s Oakland branch have called on officials to declare a state of emergency – as incidents of auto burglary and motor vehicle theft have nearly doubled since 2021.
Le Cheval was a beloved institution in the city, however it has shuttered because of the rising crime rates
A robber is seen carjacking a vehicle on the streets of Oakland.
The total number of armed robberies in Oakland this year have reached 1282, which equates to a 43 percent rise since this time last year
Speaking with several local news outlets over the weekend, Bruce Vuong, a Vietnamese national who owns an auto shop blocks from where the woman was brutalized, compared the area to his country during its infamous war.
Ironically, the neighborhood is already named Little Saigon.
‘Oakland has become a warzone,’ Vuong, who has owned and operated Quality Tech Automotive Shop on International for 35 years, told ABC’s local affiliate.
Police also recently warned about an ‘uptick in home invasion robberies’ including cases of robbers armed with guns kicking down doors before threatening homeowners and stealing their belongings.
Oakland Police Department (OPD) said some of the worst-hit areas have been Laurel, North Hills, Joaquin Miller, and the Greater San Antonio area.
More robbery scenes from across Oakland
Oakland’s left-leaning mayor Sheng Thao, who has been in office since November 2022, promised to create a ‘comprehensive’ public safety plan that will ‘double down’ on violence prevention programs when she was voted in.
Last year, her predecessor Libby Schaaf admitted efforts to defund her city’s police department went ‘too far’ after it saw violent crime surge to levels not seen in 15 years following the movement’s introduction in the summer of 2020.
Her comments came after the city council passed a resolution in 2021 to defund its police department by £17 million despite a 90 per cent increase in murders – a move criticized by Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, who said at the time that ‘crime is out of control’ in the city.
‘When we saw this surge come up during the pandemic – and, let’s also be honest, after George Floyd, after this country just saw its faith in government justice compromised – we were just heartbroken,’ Schaaf added.
But crime in the city has only worsened since then.
References
- ^ Germania Rodriguez Poleo For Dailymail.Com (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ crime (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ have been losing (www.dailymail.co.uk)