As California continues to face skyrocketing crime, two karate instructors thwarted an attempted armed carjacking in Oakland — and the incident was caught on video.
Local news outlet KTVU-TV obtained footage of the incident from a plant nursery business in the area called Moss and Spade.
The video shows the would-be victim of the carjacking exiting his car parked on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, California — where he is met by two male assailants who drive up alongside him and push him onto the sidewalk. One of the two attempted carjackers in sweatshirts appears to have what looks like a gun in his hand as the men steal the keys from the victim’s hand and turn toward his vehicle.
However, just as the assailants were getting ready to steal the victim’s car, two Good Samaritans run up and begin beating the vehicle that the criminals arrived in with sticks. The windshield can be seen shattering as the assailants panic, jumping into their car and speeding away from the scene — driving off without the victim’s car.
According to KTVU-TV, the two Good Samaritans have been identified as instructors who work at a karate studio just across the street from where the incident took place.
Meanwhile, data shows that carjacking incidents have soared in Oakland this year to the rate of a shocking 40 cars stolen each day — which is a record number in the past 15 years. Thus far in 2023, Oakland has seen roughly 10,823 car thefts — which is a drastic increase from 2022, when 7,167 motor vehicle thefts were reported.
According to one analysis from MarketWatch, Oakland is the worst city for car thefts out of all U.S. cities with a population of at least 100,000.
Oakland has faced a significant increase in most crimes this year — as the city’s police department has reported that the violent crime rate has increased by 21% since 2022.
The city has not been doing enough to fight the rising crime, according to Oakland business owners — who went on a two-hour strike on Tuesday, demanding “better protection and support so they can safely operate their businesses and make a living,” local ABC affiliate KGO-7 reported.
NOW: Sizable turnout for Oakland rally as some businesses take a two-hour pause to protest rising crime, calling it a "strike"@KQEDnews pic.twitter.com/QseLWWiEtc
— Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez (@FitzTheReporter) September 26, 2023
