Jaw-dropping surveillance footage shows the moment a mob of nearly 100 robbers ransacked a California gas station in the middle of the night.
At around 4.30am on Friday (July 5), dozens of masked thieves broke into the 76 Station, near the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
All hell broke loose at the store after a crowd ransacked the gas station, apparently unhappy it was only offering window service overnight.
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Robbers turning the place upside down as they grabbed everything they could get their hands on.
Owner Sam Mardaie estimated that between 80 and 100 people broke through the front door.
"Shelves were ripped apart, all the grocery items were torn or stepped on or vandalized," he told ABC 7 News.
During the looting, thieves took drinks, food items, boxes and baskets, and a television, as well as $25,000 in cash from the store’s register and ATM.
"This is the hardest thing you could ever go through…especially if you’ve been put in sweat and tears day in and day out,” Mardaie told KTVU.
"Building yourself for the last ten months and then you’re back to square one."
Upon arriving at the gas station following the raid, the owner called Oakland Police Department. He was allegedly told to 'file a report online'.
Mardaie then attempted to contact OPD Police Chief Floyd Mitchell but was told he needed to make an appointment.
The OPD later clarified that the call to law enforcement was made after the suspects had already left the scene of the crime. It was therefore listed as a Priority 2 incident.
In a statement, they said: "Video evidence was later reported to OPD that made clear the scale and details of the incident, including the large number of suspects, and the incident was immediately elevated to a Priority 1 incident, which prompted an officer to go to the scene to make contact with the owner, and investigators are now reviewing evidence and working directly with the gas station owner."
The city of Oakland has been plagued by violent crimes in recent months.
Crime overall increased by 18 percent in 2023 with violent crime up 21 percent.
This includes murders, which soared from 78 in 2019 to 126 last year.
On top of this, residential robberies increased by a massive 118 percent in the first four months of 2024 as compared to the same period last year.
And, one car per 30 residents was also stolen in 2023.
Topics: US News, California, Crime, Police
Bec Oakes