Protests After Oakland Police Officer Fatally Shoots Suspect In Armed Robbery, Attempted Carjacking
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Protesters burned Confederate flags and shut down a freeway in Downtown Oakland Wednesday night, hours after police fatally shot a man suspected in an armed robbery and alleged carjacking attempt.
On Wednesday evening, a group of protesters took to the streets in the area of the shooting to voice opposition to police violence.
Confederate flags and trash cans were set on fire during the demonstration.
Confederate flag gets lit up in Oakland. pic.twitter.com/i6UQbjgWos
— Bryan H (@bhayes743) August 13, 2015
Windows of a Starbucks were also reported smashed.
Starbucks in Oakland http://t.co/WpeYFiEMBy pic.twitter.com/E8M3JmPr0W via @AnarchoAnon
— Protests Map (@MapProtests) August 13, 2015
Around 10:10 p.m., a group of protesters briefly shut down westbound Interstate 980 near Interstate 880. The freeway was reopened several minutes later.
The protest was in response to the police shooting earlier in the day.
At 2:39 p.m., officers in the area of 69th Avenue and International Boulevard spotted a vehicle believed to be connected to a previous armed robbery that occurred in Oakland on July 27, according to police.
The officers attempted to pull the driver over, but he fled, leading police on a pursuit through Oakland city streets. An Oakland police helicopter tracked the car during the pursuit, police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said.
The pursuit lasted about seven miles until the suspect crashed into another car on 27th Street between Northgate Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Watson said.
The suspect ran from the car and, armed with a handgun, tried to carjack another driver, Watson said.
Arriving officers confronted the suspect, who reportedly advanced towards them with the gun. Three officers opened fire, striking the suspect, according to Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent.
One of the officers attempted life-saving measures using a department-issued trauma kit. The suspect was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Whent.
The gun carried by the suspect was later determined to have been a loaded 9 mm pistol. It is listed as stolen, according to Whent. Police do not believe the suspect fired his weapon during the confrontation.
The suspect's name has not yet been released, and police are identifying him only as a 24-year-old Oakland resident, according to Watson.
The three officers involved in Wednesday afternoon's shooting have been identified only as a 7-year veteran, a 6-year veteran and a 1-year veteran of the Oakland Police Department, according to Whent.
Wednesday's incident is the Oakland Police Department's third fatal officer-involved shooting in 2015, and the department's fifth officer-involved shooting overall, Whent said.
The Oakland police homicide and internal affairs units are investigating the shooting along with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
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