Police Recover Guns, Thwart Attempted Catalytic Converter Theft In East Oakland

OAKLAND (BCN) -- Police recovered three guns early Tuesday morning following an attempted theft in East Oakland near the city of Alameda, police said Wednesday.

Officers responded to a call around 2 a.m. in the 3300 block of Alameda Avenue and when they arrived, they saw a person standing next to a car. The person seemed surprised and yelled to warn other people in the area, according to police.

A pickup truck was parked behind the car and a loud noise was coming from underneath the car, police said.

When the officer went to investigate, he discovered a person was using a power tool to cut the catalytic converter from the vehicle, according to police.

Both people ran. The officer pursued the pair and saw a third person hiding behind another car, police said.

A fourth person and two of the three others appeared to hide in an encampment in the 3600 block of Alameda Avenue, according to police.

The officer went back the 3300 block of the street and recovered a loaded gun partly covered up by a blanket, police said. The officer also found the car was stolen and he located two guns inside it.

Police were investigating 72 homicides as of last week. Most of those are shootings and at least one more person was shot and killed this week, according to police.

Oakland