Oakland police arrest 3 following investigation into violent robberies

Police in Oakland on Tuesday announced multiple arrests following violent robberies that took place in recent weeks.

According to officers, a 28-year-old suspect was arrested following an investigation that stemmed from a robbery on Aug. 19. Police said a masked suspect armed with a rifle entered a store on the 2600 block of 14th Avenue in East Oakland and demanded money from an employee at gunpoint.

The employee responded by grabbing a firearm and both exchanged gunfire. No one was injured in the incident.

Police said the 28-year-old is also suspected of an Aug. 27 robbery on the 1600 block of 8th Avenue. A female victim was injured when the suspect stole her purse before leaving the area in a waiting vehicle.

In a statement, police said they used video surveillance, license plate readers and other methods to link the incidents to the same suspect.

On Sept. 10, robbery investigators and the department's Ceasefire and Special Resource units arrested the suspect without incident.

Officers also arrested a woman accompanying the suspect on an outstanding warrant and on suspicion of firearms-related offenses after a loaded handgun was recovered. Two loaded AR-style pistols and an unregistered pistol were recovered during a follow-up warrant search.

Police also announced an arrest in connection with an unrelated assault and attempted robbery of a food delivery driver on Sept. 3. According to officers, the suspect attempted to take items from the victim's vehicle before punching the victim several times and attempting to strike him with a metal hand truck.

During the investigation, police linked the suspect's vehicle to a robbery in a neighboring city. The suspect, a 44-year-old man, was taken into custody on Sept. 17.

Police did not release the suspects' names. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has charged both robbery suspects with multiple felonies.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the department's robbery investigators at 510-238-3326.