An armed robber wearing a mask and carrying a rifle walked into an East Oakland store on Aug. 19, demanded cash from an employee at gunpoint, and got more than he bargained for: the employee grabbed a firearm and shot back. Oakland police now say that gunfight on the 2600 block of 14th Avenue was the opening chapter in a string of violent robberies that has ended with three arrests.
No one was hurt when gunfire broke out between the masked suspect and the store employee, according to kioncentralcoast.com, which detailed the Oakland Police Department's account of the case. Investigators say that same suspect is also tied to a second robbery eight days later, when a woman was injured as the suspect stole her purse on the 1600 block of 8th Avenue before fleeing in a waiting vehicle. Police put that robbery on Aug. 27, though Patch reported the date as Aug. 26.
Surveillance Video and License Plate Readers Crack the Case
Detectives leaned on video surveillance, license-plate readers and other investigative tools to tie the two August robberies to the same suspect, the report states. That work led investigators, working alongside the department's Ceasefire and Special Resource units, to arrest a 28-year-old suspect without incident on Sept. 10.
Officers also arrested a woman who was with the suspect at the time, taking her into custody on an outstanding warrant and on suspicion of firearms-related offenses after recovering a loaded handgun. The report notes a follow-up warrant search turned up two loaded AR-style pistols and an unregistered pistol, though Patch's account of that same search described finding two additional loaded guns — an AR-style pistol and an unregistered pistol — recovered during a search warrant.
Second, Unrelated Case Targets a Food Delivery Driver
Separately, police announced an arrest connected to an unrelated assault and attempted robbery of a food delivery driver on Sept. 3. In that case, a suspect attempted to take items from the driver's vehicle before punching him several times and trying to strike him with a metal hand truck, according to officers.
Investigators linked the suspect's vehicle to a robbery in a neighboring city as the case developed, the report states. A 44-year-old man was taken into custody on Sept. 17 in connection with that assault and attempted robbery.
Felony Charges Filed, Names Withheld
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has charged both robbery suspects with multiple felonies, per the same account. Police have not released the names of any of the three people arrested.
The arrests come against a backdrop of broader shifts in Oakland's crime numbers this year. CBS San Francisco reported that major crime citywide fell nearly 30% in the first quarter of 2026, with homicides down 39% compared with the same period a year earlier. That citywide trend doesn't speak directly to the pattern of armed robberies at the center of these cases, but it reflects the shifting landscape police are working within as they pursue violent crime investigations across the city.
Police are asking anyone with additional information on either case to contact robbery investigators at 510-238-3326.
