Oakland plumbing firm robbed twice in a single month
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – An Oakland business owner lost thousands of dollars in equipment after his technicians were robbed twice in less than a month.
One of the robberies was caught on camera. The owner said that the people who work for him are like members of his family and that it greatly disturbs him to see this latest robbery filmed.
“It's very disturbing and hurtful to me to see what's happening,” said Ygnacio Becerra, owner of Oakland Rooter and Plumbing.
Becerra said his plumbing technicians have been robbed twice in the last month while trying to do their jobs. The second incident occurred on Tuesday and was captured on her clients' home surveillance video.
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“It's pretty simple, my boys were targeted. “The thieves circled the block a few times before deciding on their move,” Becerra said.
In the video, the two suspects walk toward the technician and one of the suspects holds his arm up as if he had a weapon.
“Three men with a gun approached my technician and demanded the camera equipment. They said, 'We're here to take your camera.' Don't worry, you don't want to die, you don't want to lose your life, just give us the camera and we'll let you go,” Becerra said.
At the end of the video, the suspects take everything and flee. Becerra said they use video equipment that costs about $20,000 to conduct sewer line inspections for people buying or selling a home.
He said a similar incident had already occurred on August 12. After both incidents, he filed reports with Oakland police.
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He doesn't believe his particular company is being targeted. He believes it's the neighborhoods that attract criminals.
“Targeting tends to happen in affluent neighborhoods. That doesn’t really happen in the lowland areas, but it does happen in the affluent neighborhoods where they know people can afford remodels,” Becerra said.
He said his goal is to make people aware that crimes like this happen every day in the city of Oakland. Despite these recent robberies, Becerra said he's sticking with it.
“I am very proud to be born and raised in Oakland. For me, naming my company after Oakland was a big decision. I'm here for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere,” Becerra said.
He said his technicians knew it wasn't worth losing their lives over a device and that they should leave it to the suspects.
