Oakland tattoo shop cleaned out by burglar

OAKLAND, Calif. -
 The owner of a downtown Oakland tattoo shop is puzzled over how a burglar managed to clean him out of all his equipment, given there were no signs of forced entry.

"My tools, my actual tattooing equipment, my drills, my saws, my hammers," said James Oey, who owns Sacred Tattoo near 9th Street and Broadway in Old Oakland.

"All we know is, we come in the morning, the door's locked and our stuff is gone," Oey said.

Surveillance video shows a man rolling the owner's cart down Broadway at about 2 a.m. Nov. 20.

In the cart was everything from ink, needles, drills, saws, even a decorative ram's skull and a jar of candy.

It seems like nothing is sacred for this burglar.

But what has especially shaken Oey is that the intruder stole his decades-old collection of old tattoo machines.

"Mixed feelings. I mean, it hurts, but honestly, with all the support that's been shown, it's beautiful. I'm super grateful that our community, Oakland has given back," Oey said.

The burglar's motive is unclear.

"I guess anything is resellable on the black market. I mean if someone wants to learn how to tattoo or want better ink," Oey said with a shrug.

It's the latest break-in in the Old Oakland neighborhood, which has seen a resurgence in pop-ups and other shops but more than its share of crime in recent months.

For years, the tattoo shop sat across from the Oakland Police Department on 7th Street. It only moved to its current spot on Nov. 1. So the ink wasn't even dry on his new agreement with the landlord when the man broke in.

Although the break-in is a big blow, Oey said he's not giving up on Oakland, and he's inviting everyone to the store's grand re-opening on Saturday.

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