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Nonprofit says teens in stolen SUV smashed into their Oakland building
A nonprofit in the city of Oakland is facing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage after they say teens in a stolen SUV smashed into their building. Several artists were in the building at the moment of impact. The nonprofit plans on reopening in the Uptown neighborhood as soon as possible.
OAKLAND, Calif. - An East Bay nonprofit center that serves artists with disabilities will reopen Thursday after being victimized again.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a gray SUV sped through an intersection in uptown Oakland.
Moments later, the driver crashed into the Creative Growth Art Center on 24th Street. Just minutes before, a group of artists had been painting in front of the now-shattered window.
Surveillance video shows several people running away.
Amelia Whittleset, who works at the center, said the artists were lucky.
She said if they had been having class that day, those artists would have probably died.
Witnesses say the people who ran away looked to be between the ages of 10 and 14 -- too young to actually have licenses.
The SUV owner said the vehicle was stolen two weeks ago in Berkeley and had items inside it that indicate the thieves may have attended school in Oakland.