Burglars ram SUV into shop in Oakland's Fruitvale, steal cigarettes

Burglars ram SUV into shop in Oaklands Fruitvale, steal cigarettes

Burglars broke into Market One in Fruitvale Village early Wednesday by using a car to force their way into the shop, Oakland police said.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Burglars broke into Market One in Fruitvale Village early Wednesday by using a car to force their way into the shop, Oakland police said.

Police spokeswoman Candace Keas said the break-in was reported just after 4 a.m. in the 3300 block of E. 12th Street.

When officers arrived, the suspects were gone.

But surveillance video from inside and outside the store show at least five men wearing hoods and masks breaking into the store, rummaging about and then leaving in two cars: a Suburban or Tahoe and a white Lexus.

The owner said the thieves stole about 40 cartons of cigarettes and the cash register. They also tried to steal money from the ATM machine inside the store but were unsuccessful. They were inside the store for 17 minutes.

They were then seen on video loading up their vehicles before taking off.

It's also unclear if they were armed.

Stores and people in Fruitvale Village have unfortunately been the targets of criminal activity before.

In May, a person was shot in the same block.

In April, there was a double shooting outside Market One, the same convenience store just steps from the Fruitvale BART station.

That same month, about 100 residents attended a community meeting, most of the people asking for more police patrols. The Unity Council has spent private money on armed security guards at a cost of $55,000 a month.

But the owner of Market One said the private security guard did nothing.

"I can't even explain it," the owner said. "I feel like the authorities let them loose. There's no punishment."

He added: "We're paying for nothing."

Unity Council Chief of Staff Karely Ordaz however, said that her agency pays for the guards a cost of $55,000 a month - not the individual merchants - and that they are not there to replace the job of police officers.

"We've invested in private security to try to minimize some of the tension that we've seen over the last few months," Ordaz said. "Ultimately though, at the end of the day, it is up to the Police Department to respond to these violent crimes, and we urge our tenants, our community partners to call 911."

Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents the Fruitvale said, "We need to stop that behavior and sadly enough, it will require law enforcement, and we do need more officer on the street."

Anyone with information should call Oakland police at (510) 238-3951.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan