OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — Oakland residents are being ambushed by gun-wielding robbers in residential neighborhoods at an “alarming” rate, police said.

The Oakland Police Department said within the past few weeks there has been a spike in armed robberies happening across the city.

“We are issuing this safety advisory to inform you of this alarming shift. The current trend is an uptick in the number of people robbed at gunpoint in residential neighborhoods,” police wrote.

“In some recent cases, armed individuals approach victims as they enter or exit vehicles or homes. The armed individuals rob the victims of their personal property and leave the area on foot or by vehicle,” police wrote.

The crimes are happening both at night and in broad daylight, police said.

The Oakland Police Department said residents can take two important steps to reduce their risk of being violently assaulted: One, always be aware of your surroundings and don’t be distracted by your cellphone. Two, if you are robbed, hand over your property immediately.

“Property can be replaced,” police wrote.

Police are closely tracking this current trend, including descriptions of those responsible and their vehicles. The OPD’s Violent Crime Operations Center and Patrol Division is using intelligence-led policing to identify and arrest the robbers.

If you are a victim or have information regarding those who may be responsible for these violent crimes, call OPD at 510-238-3326.

Recent Violent Robberies In Oakland

  • A 10-minute stop at a coffee shop in downtown Oakland turned out to be costly for one Venezuelan band. The band Zeta’s car was broken into and smash-and-grab robbers who stole $12,000 worth of property, including passports and laptops. The band’s instruments were mostly untouched. Initially, the band tracked the thieves using GPS from a pair of ear pods. But the musicians backed off because they worried the thieves might have been armed.
  • Multiple mountain bikers in the Oakland Hills reported being confronted by brazen thieves who demanded their pricey bikes at gunpoint. Cyclists were targeted on trails near Skyline Boulevard, Sequoia Bayview Trail, Clyde Woolridge Staging Area, and Joaquin Miller Park.
  • A violent robbery at Lake Merritt on Lakeshore Avenue escalated into a homicide. Devon Stanford, 33, was fatally shot once in the chest by thieves who attempted to rob him, investigators said.
  • Just eights days after a new cannabis dispensary opened near Lake Merritt, a group of armed robbers broke in. The group tripped Oakanna dispensary’s alarm at 4:30 a.m. Sunday. When the dispensary owner arrived to see what was happening, he was shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries., police said.
  • A woman in her 60s was putting bags in her car on 28th street when an assailant grabbed her purse from her shoulder. The victim tried to fight off the attacker. The victim fell to the ground and the robber fled with the purse by jumping into an awaiting vehicle. Surveillance cameras recorded the incident.