A masked man smashed into a rental SUV parked near Swan’s Market in Old Oakland on Wednesday and made off with $35,000 in camera equipment — including the only copies of an Antioch couple’s wedding photos. Photographer David Martin had stepped away from his vehicle for just a few minutes to grab food when the theft happened, leaving newlyweds Jenna Wesenhagen-Banks and Nick Banks without the professional images from their big day.
According to KTVU, Martin had parked his rental Kia Sportage at the corner of 10th and Washington Streets before heading into Swan’s Market. Witnesses told Martin they saw a masked man emerge from a green vehicle and break into the SUV. Among the stolen items were two cameras, lenses, a drone, a laptop, and a hard drive and memory cards holding the Bankses’ wedding photos. Contra Costa News reported the break-in happened around 11 a.m. Wednesday near 11th and Washington Streets, adjacent to Swan’s Market, while Martin was traveling between job locations.
A Wedding Three Days Earlier, Then a Devastating Loss
Jenna Wesenhagen-Banks and Nick Banks were married October 4 at La Grande Estates in Oakley, in eastern Contra Costa County, just three days before the theft, per the same account. The newlyweds live in nearby Antioch. Martin had photographed a building for a different client shortly before the break-in and suspects he may have been followed from that job to Old Oakland, the station’s report notes.
The Oakland Police Department is investigating the theft, which is officially logged under case report number RD# 26-042959, according to Contra Costa News. No arrests had been made as of the report. Under California law, auto burglary is classified as a second-degree “wobbler” offense that can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, and prosecutors must prove the vehicle’s doors or trunk were locked at the time of entry, per the Shouse Law Group.
Searching Pawn Shops and Pleading for Return
Martin spent Thursday searching pawn shops in San Francisco and Oakland for the stolen gear, per KTVU’s reporting. Any pawnbroker or secondhand dealer who acquires property in California is legally required to log serial numbers, item descriptions, and seller identification into the state’s CAPSS database daily, according to Justia’s summary of California Business and Professions Code Section 21628. The system is maintained by the California Department of Justice to help detect stolen property moving through pawn shops, though informal sales bypass the database entirely…