1 burglary suspect arrested at W. Oakland illegal marijuana grow, 2 others sought
Oakland police surround a commercial building in the 2700 block of Adeline Street. Jan. 6, 2020
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police on Monday arrested one person with a gun after surrounding a multi-story commercial building they say is an illegal marijuana grow operation for nearly 13 hours. Police believed there were two more armed suspects inside, who broke into the building in the 2700 block of Adeline Street and had been there since about 4 a.m.
“One of the suspects, who was armed with a firearm, was detained and [has] since been arrested in the attempt of moving some of the marijuana out of the building,” said Oakland Police Department spokesperson Johnna Watson.
The call to police came in before 4 a.m. when a security alarm went off. Police arrived and quickly arrested a man at what they say was an unpermitted marijuana-grow operation.
Police found pry bars and cutting tools in a suspect's silver Volvo.
Around 9 a.m., the department's tactical team and hostage negotiators had arrived, trying to coax the remaining suspects outside. Investigators were looking into whether they were trying to steal marijuana from the grow house.
Officers regularly shouted into a bullhorn that the area was surrounded, but in the end, there was no one inside.
The agency brought out its Bearcat armored vehicle and employed the use of the Alameda County sheriff's drone for assistance. Vehicles with Dublin Police Department were also at the scene.
“That drone allows our tactical team to be able to have a view of what is on the roof to ensure that we don’t have someone on the roof with a firearm," Watson said.
Surveillance video did capture images of the suspected burglars apparently breaking in. Police say they are still looking for those suspects and the investigation continues.
Neighbors said the building is in abandoned auto-body shop.
As a result of the police activity, streets in the area were closed. As a safety precaution, people in the area were kept from returning to their homes or businesses.