Investigators said they are seeking tips after several businesses in Oakland and Emeryville were burglarized early Thursday by large groups of suspects in apparently related break-ins leading to a lone arrest, authorities said.
At 11:37 p.m. Wednesday, officers on patrol saw about 30 vehicles driving westbound on San Leandro Street toward Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland police said Thursday afternoon. Soon after midnight, other officers saw a second group of vehicles near 107th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, but the group split up when police came.
Shortly before 12:15 a.m., Oakland police learned of a burglary in progress at Best Buy, 3700 Mandela Parkway. Emeryville police officers responded, finding broken windows near its entrance but determining that the store’s metal roll-down doors had kept suspects out.
About 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Emeryville police responded to a break-in at GameStop, 3980 Hollis St.
Emeryville police Capt. Oliver Collins said more than 20 cars stopped outside the store and the occupants got out, smashed out glass and pried open a roll-down metal door to the business to gain entry where they made off with a large amount of merchandise. Some of the suspects fled in the vehicles and others on foot.
An 18-year-old Oakland man trying to run away was arrested by responding Emeryville officers. He was booked into Alameda County jail on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Around 1:15 a.m., Oakland dispatchers learned of a burglary in progress at Walgreens, 5809 Foothill Blvd. When officers arrived, they found a broken glass door and other damage but no apparent entry.
Around 2:05 a.m., dispatchers received calls of a burglary in progress at hardware and tool outlet Hilti, 136 98th Avenue, with around a dozen people cutting a hole in a metal gate and shattering a window. Officers arrived to find the suspects gone, with an undisclosed amount of tools and other items missing, authorities said.
Oakland police had issued a community alert around 6 p.m. Wednesday on social media, based on tips from other law enforcement agencies, alerting residents and businesses of possible looting in the city and nearby.
Police reported no arrests in the Oakland burglaries, but investigators were reviewing surveillance-camera video and other evidence.
Anyone with information about the burglaries may call Emeryville police at 510-596-3700, Oakland police at 510-238-3951 or Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 510-777-8572.