2 men charged in series of Oakland smash-and-grab burglaries
Man accused of attacking Oakland Chinatown worker, shopper
A man is facing felony assault charges for allegedly attacking a Chinatown market worker and a homeless shopper who tried to intervene. In a separate case, two teens are accused of breaking into a 7-Eleven in Oakland.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Two men are facing multiple felonies in connection with a string of at least five commercial and smash-and-grab burglaries across Oakland.
Markus Williams, 18, and Chidera Ojeh, 19, were charged Monday with robbery, attempted robbery, commercial burglary, and vandalism, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
The criminal complaint alleges that Williams and Ojeh broke into five Oakland businesses – including three gas stations and two 7-Eleven stores – last week.
Officials said the smash-and-grab burglaries took place within hours of one another.
"Over the past several months, small businesses in Oakland and other parts of Alameda County have been targeted," District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a statement. "Curbing organized retail theft is a high priority with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. The message must be clear to those involved: if you are caught, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Williams and Ojeh will be arraigned Monday, and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Thieves broke into the 7-Eleven in Oakland at Grand Avenue and Mandana Boulevard for the second day in a row. April 25, 2025.
A rash of burglaries:
Six smash-and-grab thefts were reported in Oakland on Thursday, including at a 7-Eleven at Grand Avenue and Mandana Boulevard near Lake Merritt.
That same convenience store was targeted in a second burglary the following Friday. Workers inside the store said a car containing about half a dozen people pulled up to the store, and video from the scene showed a large rock was used to smash the glass doors of the 7-Eleven.
During a news conference Thursday, police said there were two crews that hit several spots, and that four out of five suspects were found the same day several miles away from the scene of the burglary at Grand Avenue and Mandela Parkway near Emeryville,
Authorities did not specify if Williams and Ojeh were among those arrested on Thursday.
The Source: Oakland Police Department, Alameda County District Attorney's Office, KTVU reporting