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6 cars stolen in Oakland auto shop
Thieves steal six cars from an auto shop in Oakland in what police are calling an "organized car heist."
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police are investigating after six cars were stolen from the Firestone Complete Auto Care store on Broadway. According to victims, the people responsible gained entry to the store by smashing the front window and taking multiple keys.
"At 7:30 Saturday morning I got a phone call that they were sorry," Anita Waldron said from her living room. "They said my car and five others were stolen and that I should come down to the store right away."
What was supposed to be a simple headlight fix has turned into a headache for people now without cars.
"I don’t even want to think about where my car is," said Waldron. "it could be in pieces or being used to commit other crimes."
The car thefts happened on the same morning a number of storefronts were damaged in the area.
"This was an organized crime," said Waldron. "You need at least six people to drive off."
What makes the theft more upsetting is that Waldron wasn’t planning on leaving her car overnight.
"The said they needed to order my headlight and asked if they could keep my car overnight," she said. "I even asked them about security."
She said she’s not surprised this happened adding the crime hurts both the car owners, the business itself and the city’s overall image.
"It really, really frustrates me that we can’t get a grip on it and we can’t live a respectable life here in Oakland without always being on edge of who’s going to be next."
Waldron is now working with Firestone’s insurance division for a vehicle replacement.
"I really loved my 2016 maroon Subaru Outback," she said. "There was nothing wrong with it. It had 85,000 miles on it.
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In a statement to KTVU, Firestone’s corporate headquarters sent us the following statement:
"Across our network of more than 2,200 tire and automotive service centers nationwide, safety is our top priority. The Firestone Complete Auto Care located at 2850 Broadway, Oakland, CA was broken into on August 12, 2023. When we became aware of the situation, we contacted local authorities and worked cooperatively with them as they investigated. Further inquiries about the incident should be directed to local police."
KTVU reached out to Oakland Police Department for comment on this story, but has not yet received a response.