Downtown San Leandro GameStop to permanently close following crash-and-grab burglary

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) -- The GameStop in downtown San Leandro is now permanently closed following a crash-and-grab incident on Friday morning, where suspects crashed a vehicle into the building with the intent to steal.

"I don't approve it. Now I have to go to another store. It just is what it is," said Nick Fretwell, a GameStop shopper.

Store management declined an interview but tell ABC7 News that the suspects only made off with a few hundred dollars worth of merchandise, unlike what happened at its other San Leandro location, which was hit on Christmas Eve morning.

That location's management says the damage just to the front of the store was estimated at $20,000, adding that the suspects took off with upwards of 30 PlayStation 5s, valued at $450 each.

San Leandro police say the suspects in the Christmas Eve incident were arrested following a chase by law enforcement.

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The police department was not available for an interview. But in a statement to ABC7 News, it said in part, "We are concentrating patrol and investigative resources in order to reduce the number of occurrences. And also to apprehend those responsible for these wantonly destructive crimes."

This is the fourth crash-and-grab incident reported this week in the East Bay. One happened at a Lucky grocery store in Oakland on Thursday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the issue at an event in Oakland on Friday, saying new legislation has been signed to help law enforcement crackdown on crime, beginning in the new year.

"And as it relates to smash-and-grabs, again, outside the purvey of Prop 36, important that this is part of the conversation for the public. Those are included specifically as relates to the package of bills the legislature advanced and I signed in August," Newsom said.

Brick by Brick Toys in Hayward, which specializes in Legos, was hit twice on Tuesday. Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas says he has been in contact with city staff and police about the incident.

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"One thing that we do know is that a lot of these concerted groups are coming from way outside of Hayward. In some cases, even outside the Bay Area," Salinas said.

Salinas said there is a pattern in which popular stores selling specialized merchandise, such as Legos or a PlayStation, are being targeted. He said the city and property owners need to try new strategies to protect businesses, especially small mom-and-pop stores.

"Where they could invest in enhancing points of entry with metal roll-up doors or metal posts, steel posts in front of buildings, which prevent cars from driving right into the building," Salinas said.

He added that Alameda County cities are in talks with the county on how to collectively tackle these types of crash-and-grab incidents.

Hayward police say it is investigating to determine if the suspects arrested in the San Leandro GameStop incident are in any way related to the Brick by Brick store burglary.