Yet another business in Oakland has been robbed in the past couple of weeks. This time a piano bar known to draw in crowds. Pete Suratos reports.
Yet another business in Oakland has been robbed in the past couple of weeks. This time a piano bar known to draw in crowds.
The Alley located in the Grand Lake district was robbed early Wednesday morning.
Surveillance video showed robbers used bolt cutters to make their way into the 100-year-old bar and steal the cash register and ATM.
This also comes weeks after a flash mob ransacked an Oakland gas station store.
Mayor Sheng Thao visited the gas station owner, vowing to help support the business and work on solutions to curb crime in the Hegenberger corridor after yet another burglary.
In less than a month, Sam Mardaie’s store at the 76 gas station on Hegenberger Road has been burglarized twice, resulting in nearly $115,000 in damages.
It started with a flash mob earlier this month when dozens of people ransacked the store for 40 minutes, stealing everything in reach.
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"I want law and order," Mardaie said. "We are law abiding citizens. I want whoever is going to take a chance to break the law to be held responsible for breaking the law."
Less than two weeks later, a group attempted to steal an ATM, ramming a truck into the store's door and assaulting an employee. When that didn’t work, the suspects stole cash and cigarettes.
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In the meeting with Thao and police Chief Floyd Mitchell, Mardaie pushed for policy changes and more action from the city and criticized the mayor for not responding sooner.
"I got phone calls from everywhere, from different states, different politicians, and the one phone call we never got was from the city of Oakland," Mardaie said.
In response, Thao said, "I do know the sensitivity behind a situation like this, so I explained to the owner I always give victims some space and time, and then I come out and have a conversation with them."
