A late-night robbery in East Oakland left two 37-year-old men in the hospital yesterday, one with a gunshot wound and the other injured after being pistol‑whipped and robbed while they sat in a parked car. Both victims live in the area and were taken to a hospital, though their conditions were not immediately available. The attack unfolded in the 1400 block of 81st Avenue near International Boulevard, and police say the suspects fled in a vehicle.
Robbery Turns Violent After Suspects Pull Up Beside Parked Car
According to Oakland police, the suspects pulled up alongside the victims’ parked car and two men got out, one of them masked and armed. When one of the victims appeared to resist, the gunman fired at the vehicle. The shot missed the man who resisted and instead hit the other victim in the shoulder. The second victim was then pistol‑whipped and robbed of a wallet containing cash and personal items before the suspects sped away eastbound on International Boulevard in a vehicle investigators said may have been a Lexus, according to The Mercury News.
Robbery Highlights Ongoing Concerns Despite Drop in Homicides
The attack comes as Oakland continues to wrestle with gun violence even after a sharp drop in killings last year. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that 2025 saw the fewest homicides in Oakland in decades, yet early 2026 has already included several high-profile shootings that have kept public-safety concerns front and center. City leaders and violence-prevention groups say they are continuing programs such as Ceasefire while investigators work to trace the suspects in the latest case…