A group of looters ransacked an Oakland gas station convenience store, causing thousands of dollars in damage, and the frustrated store manager claims it took police nine hours to respond to his calls for help.
Police said the group, who had just attended a nearby car show, broke into Station 76 near San Francisco Bay-Oakland International Airport around 4:30 a.m. Friday. ABC 7 News Bay Area.
Shop owner Sam Murday estimated that around 80 to 100 people breached the store’s front door and took everything they could get their hands on.
“The shelves were ripped apart and all the food items were ripped, trampled or destroyed,” Mardayeh told the media.
Surveillance video obtained by news outlets showed looters taking drinks from refrigerators, food from shelves, and store property including boxes, baskets and televisions.
Someone climbed over the cash register and looted items from under the counter.
The rioters were reportedly angry that they were not allowed inside the store because it only offered counter service, which is normally available at night in 24-hour stores.
Approximately $25,000 in cash was stolen from the store’s cash register and ATM, but the safe was not taken.
Two employees inside the store were threatened during the mass looting, which lasted about 40 minutes, Mardaye said. He told KTVU.
“This is the most painful thing you can ever go through in your life… especially if you’ve put in your sweat and tears every day,” the frustrated owner told the outlet.
Maladi says he and his family will take over the business in August 2023.
“I’ve spent the last 10 months developing myself and now I’m back to square one,” he added.
Oakland police were called, but dispatchers told callers that because there was no suspect on scene, the crime was classified as Priority 2 and could be reported online.
According to KTVU, after video of the extensive looting was provided to police, the incident was upgraded to Priority 1 and officers were dispatched to the store nine hours after the robbery began.
Police told the outlet that officers had responded to a party involving more than 100 cars near the airport, and then to a theft 90 minutes later.
Customers at the store shared their concerns about continuing crime in the area.
“It’s very disappointing. I’m scared to go out after dark and I don’t know if this is just a warning or not,” customer Ebony Bolton told KTVU.
Oakland has seen a recent surge in crime, forcing several restaurant chains to close locations in the area and forcing one family to withdraw their son from a local college.
Gas station No. 76 is in the same area where In-N-Out closed its only Oakland store in March due to rampant crime and customer safety concerns.
In February, a Texas lawyer offered a $10,000 reward in the case of a man whose son was robbed at gunpoint at the same gas station while filling up his rental car. According to CBS News.
“It’s crazy. It’s every day. Not a day has gone by since we opened in August that something hasn’t happened,” Marday told the outlet at the time.
“I come from Yemen, a third world country. Incidents like this don’t happen in third world countries where there is no law and order.”
