Staff member at Oakland's Laurel Child Development Center injured during attempted carjacking
The Oakland Unified School District on Tuesday confirmed a staff member at Laurel Child Development Center was injured Monday afternoon when they were hit by their own car during an attempted carjacking near the school.
Oakland police said that shortly after 1:45 p.m., the victim was walking to their car in the 3700 block of California Street around the corner from Laurel Elementary when they noticed someone else sitting in the driver's seat.
The car's owner confronted the person and at one point stood in front of the vehicle to stop the suspect from driving away, police said.
The would-be carjacker drove into the victim, who was knocked to the ground and pinned underneath the car, according to police.
The suspect then got out of the car and into a waiting vehicle driven by an apparent accomplice, who drove away. The victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said.
While it was initially unknown if the victim was connected to the school, Oakland Unified spokesperson John Sasaki released a statement regarding the incident early Tuesday evening that confirmed the victim was a staff member at the Laurel Child Development Center, a pre-school facility adjacent to the elementary school.
The statement said the staff member went to their car "and discovered someone inside trying to steal it." When the staff member tried to stop the thief, they were struck by the vehicle when the suspect tried to drive it away. The injured staff member was "rushed to the hospital" and is currently "home and recovering from their injuries." The statement said that the staff member would receive support from the district as they took time to recover.
The full statement from the school district appears below:
"On Monday, September 30, there was an incident near the Laurel Child Development Center (CDC) where a staff member went out to their car and discovered someone inside trying to steal it. The staff member tried to stop the theft, and instead, ended up being hit by the car as the person tried to drive away. The thief then ran off on foot. The staff member's injuries were serious enough that they had to be rushed to the hospital. The good news is they are now home and recovering from their injuries, but it will take some time before they can return to work. In the meantime, the District is making sure they have all the support they need. Laurel CDC sits adjacent to Laurel Elementary School in a quiet neighborhood, and the District is hopeful that the property crimes that have become much more common recently across the city will come to a quick end. OUSD is calling on the person who committed this crime to surrender to police as soon as possible. No material gain is worth harming anyone, especially a district staff member who is dedicated to supporting Oakland's children."