Aug 8, 2008 11:56 pm US/Pacific
OPD Says Recent Restaurant Robberies Are Connected
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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An Oakland police cruiser on patrol.
CBS
Oakland police said Friday that they believe the same three suspects were likely responsible for at least eight restaurant takeover robberies that have occurred in the city since July 16.
Police asked for the public's help in identifying the suspects and offered a $30,000 reward for information leading to their arrests and convictions.
The suspects were described as three black males in their late teens or early 20s, wearing dark clothing and ranging in height from 5 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 2 inches. In each of the robberies, there appeared to be one suspect significantly taller than the shortest one, police said.
Police have also released surveillance video from some of the robberies, hoping the public will be able help identify suspects.
"We're looking at those videos and doing what we can to enhance them. Unfortunately some of these videos aren't as high quality as they should be, and the people try to mask their identity," said Deputy Police Chief Dave Kozicki.
The most recent robbery was Wednesday night at the King of King restaurant on East 12th Street. The three masked suspects, one of them with a gun, ordered customers and workers to the ground before getting away with about $2,000 dollars.
All of the robberies have occurred around closing time. In each incident, the suspects have entered the business through the front door and one has been armed with a handgun.
The suspects have taken money from the cash registers as well as from customers in the restaurants.
So far, no injuries were reported but there was concern that the violence could escalate, Officer Roland Holmgren said.
The recent robberies were similar to those that occurred earlier this summer, but two suspects have been arrested in those cases, and are still in jail. They were part of the notorious Acorn gang, but police don't know if other members of the same gang are committing these latest robberies.
Police were increasing the number of officers on foot patrol in the areas where the recent robberies have taken place and were working with restaurant owners to teach them how they can help prevent being targeted.
In adition, undercover officers would be assigned to the targeted areas and the Guardian Angels also planned to patrol Oakland streets in an effort to crackdown on the robberies.
Investigators have not determined whether a similar robbery at a Richmond Wal-Mart on Thursday night is also connected, Officer Jeff Thomason said.
Police asked business owners and the general public to be more vigilant and to report suspicious behavior to the police.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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