Full Notification

PRESS RELEASE

DATE / TIME OF RELEASE: 09/26/2012 8:15 am CRIME: Armed Robbery

PRESS RELEASE OFFICER: Lt. Rick DeCosta TELEPHONE: (510) 577-3242

DATE / TIME OCCURRED: 09/25/2012 9:01 pm

LOCATION: Safeway, 555 Bancroft Avenue

INVESTIGATING DETECTIVE(S): Detective A. Hidas

SUSPECT(S): Unknown

DETAILS:

On Tuesday evening, September 25th 2012, approximately 9:01 pm, five armed suspects entered the Safeway store located at 555 Bancroft Avenue. Once inside the store, the suspects – at least four of whom possessed handguns – ordered Safeway employees and patrons to get down on the floor. The suspects then approached two cashier stands and forcibly removed cash from the drawers.

All of the suspects were wearing dark hoodie-type sweatshirts and were wearing bandanas over their faces in an effort to conceal their identities. After interviews with witnesses and victims, it appears as though the suspects were black males in their early twenties. At least one of the handguns was described as a black semi-automatic.

The suspects then fled the store via the main entry/exit doors located on the south side of the building. Secondary reports indicate the suspects then ran north on Bancroft Avenue. At the time of this release, there was no suspect vehicle information available.

Lieutenant DeCosta said, “This was a brazen and potentially dangerous situation. Fortunately, everyone inside the store complied with the suspects’ demands and no one was hurt.”

The loss from the store was an unknown amount of cash.




MEDIA UPDATES WILL BE PROVIDED AS INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.