Two armed burglars attempted to rob an Oakland jewelry store Jan. 8 when a jewelry worker fired his own weapon at the would-be thieves.
The worker at MSM Jewelry store near Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood said he became concerned as he watched a car pull up to the wrong side of the street outside the shop.
“I saw two guys creeping up really quick so I was like, it’s a robbery,” the worker, who didn’t want to be identified, told local outlet KTVU Fox.
The two burglars, both wearing masks, entered the store with guns drawn.
The worker said he fired the first shot with his own 9mm handgun.
“They told me don’t move, or we'll shoot. So I started shooting at them because they had the guns pointed at me,” he said. “They were shooting back. It was going back and forth for like 20 seconds.”
The worker said the burglars fired about 20 shots at him, then eventually fled. He said he believes he shot one of the men in the shoulder.
“And then I ducked, right, and then I waited to see him like scrambling. The other guy was still shooting. And then I popped my head out and shot about seven more,” he said.
The same man that he believes was shot in the shoulder was later hit by his getaway car, driven by a third person, while attempting to escape, according to the worker.
The Oakland Police Department took a police report, and took the worker’s gun as a part of the investigation—but they did not cite the worker, saying he did the right thing.
The worker issued a warning to the two attempted robbers.
“If you come back again, try to do the same thing, we’re just going to defend ourselves,” he said. “At this point, you have to.”
