A group of teenagers overran a 7-Eleven in Oakland over the weekend, leaving behind damage at the convenience store and rattling residents and workers in the surrounding neighborhood.
Video recorded at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday outside the store in the 500 block of International Boulevard shows a tense scene as a crowd of young people moved into the business before fleeing on bicycles while an alarm blared.
The footage later shows a smaller group returning to the storefront, where several youths appeared to smash part of the front door with force.
After failing to push their way back inside, at least one person was seen attempting to climb through the broken glass as someone nearby urged the group to “go in there with him.”
Only two employees were working inside the 7-Eleven when the initial incident unfolded, according to KTVU.
The workers estimated the group included around 20 people, who appeared to range in age from about 14 to 20 years old.
According to the employees, the crowd took several items before running out. Some then came back after the workers locked the entrance and contacted 911.
“I feel scared,” employee Jasshan Singh, who was inside the store during the chaos, told the station. “We can’t do anything. We can’t even run.”
A group of youngsters estimated to be between 14 and 20 years old violently rushed a 7-Eleven store in Oakland on Saturday around 4.30pm
The convenience store in the 500 block of International Boulevard has been attacked five different times just this year
The Oakland Police Department told Our News Outlet on Thursday afternoon that it was investigating ‘a robbery, assault, and vandalism’ at the 7-Eleven
Singh was stocking items in the back of the store when he heard a youngster verbally harassing his manager.
‘I feel a bit scared when that happened, because we don’t have any security over here,’ he told KRON4. ‘We don’t have any protection.’
The worker added that the crowd had broken ‘all the windows,’ forcing the 7-Eleven employees to take refuge in a back corner.
Another worker, Sagar Sagar, added that one of the youngsters had broken off the store’s metal door handle and thrown it through the glass door.
The handle hit Sagar, who said the crowd was cussing and behaving aggressively, in the face.
Sagar described feeling helpless as the youngsters attempted to pillage the 7-Eleven.
‘I cannot do something,’ Sagar told KTVU. ‘If I do something, police arrest me.’
Sagar said that he had previously discovered a dead man’s body in the store’s parking lot after a robbery in September 2023.
In video captured at the scene, one of the youngsters could be seen throwing a heavy object towards the store
Other clips from the chaos showed how a group of youngsters broke the front door and tried to climb into the 7-Eleven that way
The 7-Eleven’s franchise owner, DA Brar, said that this was the fifth time his store had been targeted this year.
In total, his store has suffered about $25,000 in damages as a result of the repeated attacks.
However, Brar explained that he has to keep the store open because he is tied to a long-term lease.
He also pushed back on the idea of installing bars or stronger locks to keep violent crowds like the one on Saturday away.
‘These corner gas stations, 7-Elevens, they’re called convenience stores, where the customer can get in and out in three to five minutes for their essential needs,’ Brar said. ‘So, no. I will not close the door. I will not put the bars there.’
Brar added: ‘The customer should be able to come in and pick up what they want.’
However, Brar acknowledged that it was tough to hire and retain workers at his location.
‘We are very much concerned for our employees’ safety,’ he said.
Oakland police said that the young crowd had ‘assaulted employees and damaged property before leaving the area on bicycles’
The repeatedly attacked 7-Eleven in Oakland remains open, though its franchise owner admitted that it was hard to hire and retain workers at the location
For now, the 7-Eleven remains open despite the yearlong string of concerning incidents.
A local who visits the store every week, Jinny Sharma, said that she was shocked by the damage, pointing out how it happened in ‘broad daylight.’
‘It just disturbs me and makes me feel unsafe,’ Sharma told KRON4.
‘Oakland is a great city, it’s a beautiful city, and there’s just not enough police patrol,’ she added.
Oakland City Councilmember Charlene Wang, who chairs the Public Safety Committee and represents the area, said new police officers were being trained.
They were expected to begin operating on the streets of Oakland within the next few months.
‘We’re working on securing International Boulevard,’ Wang said. ‘This is a priority of mine.’
The Oakland Police Department told Our News Outlet on Thursday afternoon that it was investigating ‘a robbery, assault, and vandalism’ at the store.
‘During the preliminary investigation, officers learned that a group of individuals entered a local business and attempted to steal items,’ the police department said. ‘When unsuccessful, they assaulted employees and damaged property before leaving the area on bicycles.’
