The Emeryville Police Department has issued a crime alert after a string of armed ATM Robberies along San Pablo Avenue. There have been eleven such robberies within a two block radius of the area since May.
Most notably, patrons of the Bank of America branch at 4120 San Pablo Ave have been targeted at least nine times. The other incidents were Wells Fargo ATM’s presumed to be the ones on 40th street near Pak ‘N Save.
According to police, suspects armed with handguns rob the banking customer of money and personal belongings while returning to their vehicles after using an ATM. The suspects then flee the area in vehicles. Emeryville police did not provide more specific suspect descriptions of the vehicle(s) or suspect(s).
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Robberies in the city were up dramatically in the month of June with 25 reported incidents. The city has already experiences 55 robberies after the first half of 2023 compared to 40 such incidents during the same duration in 2022.
EPD warned that the robberies appeared to a regional crime trend that includes Oakland, San Leandro and other cities.
Oakland PD issued a similar warning on July 5.
Public Safety Advisory: ATM Robberies
In several recent cases, the victim was approached by an armed individual(s) and robbed of their belongings after an ATM transaction.
If you are a victim or have information regarding these incidents, please call 510-238-3326. pic.twitter.com/tbcN1LfDrz
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) July 6, 2023
EPD is encouraging hyper-vigilance by patrons of ATMs and the city has posted tips for reducing the risk of being a victim.
Anyone with information about the cases is asked to call the Emeryville police criminal investigations unit at (510) 596-3700.
The signer of the “Freedom to Walk Act” (AB 2147) suggested the problem is not one of lenient laws but of lenient prosecution. “There are plenty of laws on the books, and it’d be nice to see some of these damn laws enforced for a change.” What a hypocrite.
Q “Should a member of the NRA [gun lobbying organization] sit on the Public Safety Committee?”
A Yes