Oakland resident Terry Williams and Gerald Dugas, of Castro Valley, were arrested during a wave of looting that took place during protests in downtown Oakland following the July 8 conviction of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, Oakland City Attorney spokesman Alex Katz said.
Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART Station on Jan. 1, 2009.
Williams and Dugas were part of a crowd of more than 200 looters that broke through a security gate JC Jewelry at 1940 Broadway and stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, Katz said.
Looters also kicked in a window and punched a store employee, according to the city attorney's office.
Police arrested Williams and Dugas after finding gold jewelry stolen from the store in their pockets, according to the city attorney's office.
Oakland's Neighborhood Law Corps, a division of the city attorney's office, sued the two men for damages on Oct. 28, 2010.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Richard Kelley ordered Williams and Dugas to pay $25,000 each in restitution to the owner of JC Jewelry, according to the city attorney's office.
"Oakland has a proud tradition of nonviolent protest and dissent," Oakland City Attorney John Russo said in a statement.
"Those who use protests as nothing more than a cover to trash our town or loot homegrown businesses should consider carefully the court's ruling."
