EXCLUSIVE: Armed with a golf club, thieves rob Oakland donut shop for 4th time

ByJ.R. Stone KGO logo

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

EXCLUSIVE: Thieves rob Oakland donut shop for 4th time

For the fourth time in a year, Oakland's Colonial Donuts has been robbed again and the owners are speaking out to city leaders.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- For the fourth time in a year, a well-known Oakland donut shop has been robbed again.

Surveillance video shows thieves - one of them armed with a golf club - ripping out the cash register.

Those from the donut shop are speaking along with city leaders.

"I think one of the assailants also brought in a golf club. I'm not sure what he was intending to do with it, cause intimidations or cause harm, but yeah this would be the fourth time we got robbed within not even one year," said Yamamoto.

Phing Yamamoto runs Colonial Donuts. Her family has owned the business for more than 40 years. She says since the robberies started they have installed a service window that is cashless and has used instead of the front door during overnight hours, but this happened at 6 a.m. during a shift change.

"I've got customers telling us, can you please stay open? We really need you - yeah know you're such an important institution in Oakland but it's hard. I won't lie, being a small business owner in Oakland right now is very, very tough," said Yamamoto.

Some in the community are angry. Seneca Scott took part in a rally outside Colonial Donuts last December and says more officers are needed on Oakland streets.

"When we walk outside of our houses every day, people are not feeling safe. Businesses will absolutely continue to close if they don't get immediate support," said Scott with Neighbors Together Oakland.

Oakland District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas says she is actively working with police, business owners, and community members on public safety measures. Police have even told her that some of these strategies are leading to crime reductions.

"We have increased community policing in our areas with foot patrols so we do have a foot patrol officer assigned to the Lakeshore and Grand Avenue business areas. There are now crime reduction teams," said Fortunato Bas, "We are in the process of identifying a location on Grand Avenue to start where there would be a police resource office."

While that would likely be on Grand Avenue, it would also be in close proximity to where this latest, fourth robbery happened at Colonial Donuts.

INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker