Oakland Police Announce Arrests in Streak of Home and Business Burglaries – NBC Bay Area

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and city police announced a series of arrests Wednesday in connection with a variety of crimes, from a home invasion to a series of gas station and restaurant robberies.

“While we have seen a decrease in the number of violent crimes detected, our work is far from over,” said Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell.

During a news conference Wednesday, Oakland police said video surveillance and evidence found in the home of 32-year-old Derrick Behrens prove he is responsible for four separate burglaries and robberies in April in the Highland Park area. Police said he has a long criminal history with similar crimes throughout Alameda County.

“The suspect was simply scouting the area. Usually he would just drive around, we would park several blocks away and then walk to the places he wanted to rob,” said Oakland Police Lieutenant Omar Daza-Quiroz.

Police said they had also arrested a group of four 17-year-olds in connection with more than 30 commercial burglaries and armed robberies since January.

“A large hatchet was used in a number of robberies of businesses and individuals in the businesses and we are fortunate that none of the individuals robbed were injured,” said Frederick Shavies of Oakland police.

Oakland police said the most recent series occurred in May, when two members of the group attacked six businesses in the Hegenberger Corridor in just 60 minutes. Police suspect the same group of four teenagers is responsible for more than 20 other burglaries in surrounding cities.

Thao attributed the crime decline to cooperation between Oakland police, regional partners and the California Highway Patrol.

“When I took office a year and a half ago, crime was rising and we had fewer police officers on the streets than we do today. But today Oakland is on the right track,” she said.

And the police said their work was contributing to a reduction in overall crime.

According to the latest figures from Oakland Police, commercial burglaries have dropped 25% over the past three years, while residential burglaries have dropped 14% over the same period. But it’s not all good news, as residential burglaries have increased 39%. Thao said she’s committed to getting those numbers down, too.

“We still have a lot of work to do. There is no time to celebrate, we have to keep pushing and that is what we will do,” said Thao.