Oakland, California is seeing a rise in dangerous crime including carjackings. One new video shows harrowing evidence of one situation where two armed men block another driver, rush to her car, and attempt to open her doors. Her quick thinking allowed her to escape with her car but more importantly, her life.
The driver of the car says that it happened around 8 a.m. on Friday, July 21 at Keller Ave and Skyline Blvd. The video that she posted to Nextdoor shows a white Dodge Charger ahead of her slowing down and then ultimately blocking the roadway directly ahead of her. Initially, she’s dumbfounded and actually exclaims “Come on now, quit f***ing around,” before realizing what’s happening.
Her second reaction is also calm as she sees the men approaching her car she simply says “no,” but they continue toward her. It’s only when they begin to bang on what sounds like the window or the door that her adrenaline seems to kick in. She punches it and drives around the men and their car.
More: Carjacking Suspects In San Fransisco Launch Lincoln Off Dead End In GTA-Like Escape
She made a quick right turn and kept her speed up only to notice the Charger making progress in catching her. Video shared with KTVU shows that she managed to keep the Dodge behind her and it ultimately pulled away when she made another turn into a neighborhood. Despite her fear, she managed to get away safely. Her video has already proven to be helpful too. Police say that they know who one of the suspects is and that his arrest is imminent.
The victim in this case advises others in the area to only carry what they need in their car and to delete their home address from their on-board navigation system just in case their vehicle is stolen. That might prove handy because thefts are on the rise. Police say that carjackings like this one are up 10 percent over the same time last year.
On July 23, another carjacking happened on Skyline Blvd near Old Cornelius Rd. In that case, the criminals got away both with the car and with valuables inside of it. Police say that it’s vital to be more vigilant and aware of one’s surroundings.