Oakland 12-Year-Old Shot While Confronting Catalytic Converter Thieves Outside Home
OAKLAND (BCN) -- A 12-year-old boy was shot early Friday morning in Oakland after someone in his home threw a chair at the thieves trying to steal the catalytic converter from their car, police said.
Just after 3 a.m., officers responded to gunfire in the 2500 block of Rawson Street in East Oakland.
The person who threw the chair told officers that they heard a noise outside their home. That person and the boy went outside and saw at least two people trying to steal the catalytic converter, according to police.
In an interview with KPIX 5, 12-year-old Fernando Melendez said his father confronted the thieves when one of the suspects opened fire.
"The bullet passed my skin like that," he said. "When I got shot there, my mom was so worried. I was like 'Mom, it's not that bad.' It hurts a little bit, not that much."
The suspects fired multiple shots at the residents after the chair was thrown and the boy was struck in the foot by a bullet. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injury, police said.
"Now that he's back from the hospital, he has trauma. He's asking why they shot him," Yesenia Chavez, Fernando's mother, said through a translator. ""Very lucky that nothing worse happened, especially the husband who was right in the line of fire."
Police told KPIX 5 that following the shooting, the suspects left their jack behind and drove away in two vehicles. No one has been arrested in the case.
The family said the same vehicle was targeted for a catalytic converter theft two weeks ago. In that incident, the family said a neighbor scared away the potential thieves.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at (510) 238-3426.
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