2 charged in robbery spree targeting Oakland convenience stores, gas stations
Two men are facing multiple felony charges following a spree of smash-and-grab burglaries that took place in Oakland last week, prosecutors said.
Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson announced Monday that her office has charged 18-year-old Markus Williams and 19-year-old Chidera Ojeh. Williams and Ojeh have been charged with robbery, attempted robbery, commercial burglary and vandalism.
"I am grateful to the Oakland Police Department and the officers who were able to quickly arrest the individuals allegedly involved in this series of commercial burglaries," Jones Dickson said in a statement.
According to the criminal complaint, the pair allegedly committed a series of "smash and grab" burglaries that took place within hours of one another on Thursday. The robberies took place at three gas stations and two 7-Eleven stores in Oakland.
Police at the time said they made four arrests in connection with the burglaries.
"Over the past several months, small businesses in Oakland and other parts of Alameda County have been targeted. Curbing organized retail theft is a high priority with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. The message must be clear to those involved: if you are caught, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the district attorney went on to say.
Williams and Ojeh are scheduled to be arraigned Monday. If convicted, both men face more than 10 years in state prison.
