Oakland marijuana dispensary rammed by burglars

OAKLAND, Calif. - It was a dramatic scene before dawn Wednesday as Oakland police, with their guns drawn, searched a marijuana dispensary near Lake Merritt that had been burglarized.

Although officers arrived quickly, the burglars escaped, leaving a mess at the Oakanna dispensary on Lakeshore Avenue.

The break-in happened at about 3:45 a.m. Police said several carloads of burglars showed up and one vehicle was used to ram the front entrance of the dispensary.

As officers arrived, they spotted two cars taking off with stolen products. Other items and bins were left spilled all over the street.

Officers found a third car, a Honda Accord, still rolling down the street.

Later in the morning, crews were busy repairing the damage and boarding up a broken window on the building, located in a bustling business district that has been hit hard by burglars.

"They told me they got robbed this morning," said a dispensary customer who wished only to be identified as James. "That they got robbed and their selections were a little bit slim."

With a laugh, James said, "Folks are gonna rob places when they want something they can't afford. Truth of the matter."

Pamela Drake, former director of the Lakeshore Business Improvement District said, "In a way, it's not surprising when you have something this valuable."

Former Oakland resident Kathleen Walker said of the intruders, "They must not have a heart. Because how do you sleep at night when you do that?"

Walker, who used to work at a beauty center nearby that has since closed, said, "I've been gone 25 years because I had to get my son out of Oakland. Oakland wasn't like this. I came here in the 80s. It was beautiful."

Tucky Blunt delivers cannabis after closing his Blunts and Moore dispensary in East Oakland partly due to repeated burglaries.

"Being robbed five times in six years definitely was a big factor," Blunt said.

"Something's gotta be done. If they don't want to learn how to do the game and get in the game the legal way, quit robbing us. You're killing the business. There's no way to survive being robbed multiple times," Blunt said.

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