Oakland Standoff Ends As Stuck Suspect Surrenders
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Suspects in a standoff that forced the lockdown of an Oakland elementary school eventually surrendered Tuesday afternoon, but not without some help from firefighters.
The lockdown was prompted by a search for suspects in a series of robberies that occurred Tuesday morning, police said.
Police learned around 7 a.m. that there had been a number of armed home invasion and other robberies in East Oakland, police spokesman Officer Cynthia Perkins said.
Horace Mann Elementary School at 5222 Ygnacio Ave. was placed on lockdown around 10:15 a.m., as police searched for suspects nearby.
As officers were investigating the crimes, they spotted a car that had been used in one of the incidents and traced it to a home in the 5000 block of Melrose Avenue, near 49th Avenue.
They saw one suspect exiting the home and arrested him, then determined there were other suspects inside, police said.
Three other suspects were then arrested without incident. Police said a another person initially tried to hide, but became stuck in the attic.
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
Firefighters used power tools to open the attic and remove the man, who suffered a minor injury, according to police.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the school began allowing parents to pick up their children one by one, Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint said.
In total, nine people have been taken into custody as a result of the investigation into the armed robbery and home invasion spree.
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