Texas mom offering $10,000 reward for arrest after son and his friends robbed near Oakland airport

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A weekend birthday celebration in wine country came to a violent end near the Oakland International Airport in the East Bay.

A woman says her son and some friends were robbed at a gas station as they filled up their rental vehicle.

It happened in an area that's received a lot of publicity recently with In-N-Out and Denny's recently announcing they were closing because of crime concerns.

"I'm offering a $10,000 reward for any tips that lead to the arrest of the people who violently robbed my son," said Maxey Scherr, who is talking about an incident from Jan. 29 that happened at the 76 station on Hegenberger Road near the Oakland airport.

MORE: In-N-Out in Oakland to close over increase in crime, company says

In-N-Out Burger is closing its Oakland location in March due to crime, according to the company's chief operating officer.

Scherr is offering up a reward to help identify the people seen in a surveillance video, which is also being used in the police investigation.

"The world doesn't have to be this way," she said

The Texas attorney has roots in the Bay Area and says the attack happened while her son and friends were gassing up their rental car after they had spent the weekend in Sonoma celebrating his 21st birthday.

"Out comes five different men. They bust the windshield, take all the luggage and didn't stop there. They then pulled my son out of the car and started hitting him with the gun," Scherr said.

She met her son in Oakland at the police station.

"This is commonplace," is what I was told, "this is what happens in Oakland, you should know better than to gas up in Oakland," she rephrased.

MORE: Denny's latest Oakland restaurant closing due to crime in area near airport

The Denny's on Hegenberger Road in Oakland is citing car break-ins, robberies, and other crimes for its closure just weeks after the In-N-Out across the freeway announced its closure.

But she says there was no warning that this is a dangerous area.

"Now that it's happened, I've been researching Hegeberger like crazy."

And it doesn't take a deep-dive to learn Hegenberger's been taking a hit.

In-N-Out Burger announced the closure of its location because of crime. And now Denny's, also closing.

MORE: Community sad with In-N-Out's decision to close Oakland location due to crime

In-N-Out Burger recently announced it will close its location in Oakland claiming rising crime is making it unsafe for customers and employees.

And ABC7 Insider Phil Matier says there doesn't seem to be any answers in sight.

"I haven't heard anything solid coming out of Oakland City Hall yet. I hear some platitudes, 'we're going to work together, we're trying, we're coming up with different strategies, more beat cops, this and that,' but it's the same thing I heard a year ago," he said.

When asked about Monday's robbery at the 76 gas station, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao responded with a statement reading in part:

"As Mayor, I have prioritized this critical gateway to Oakland and surged police presence and employed technology to deter and respond to criminal behavior. However, more is necessary and I will be working with regional and state leaders to protect this tourist gateway into Oakland."

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live