Rolling gun battle near Oakland schools leads to wreck involving innocent bystanders
A shootout between at least two cars in Oakland caused a crash involving an innocent bystanders' vehicle Thursday morning near several schools.
Oakland police said a shooting activated a ShotSpotter alert just after 7:30 a.m. on the 2500 block of Cherokee Avenue near Bishop O'Dowd High School and the campus of Barack Obama Academy / Francophone Charter School in the city's Toler Heights neighborhood.
Officers arrived to find a vehicle collision and evidence of a shooting. Police did not provide any additional details or suspect information.
A man who arrived at the scene said his wife and daughter were traveling in an SUV when it was hit by a car with people shooting at another vehicle. The man, who identified himself as Steve McCoy, a former Oakland resident, said the SUV flipped over and witnesses helped his wife and daughter escape from the wreck.
McCoy said his wife and daughter were not seriously hurt. "She's fine, she's good, my daughter's good."
Witnesses told him the people in the other car involved in the crash fled in a second car.
"It's sad. I mean, I'm born and raised here. Uh, it just sucks to see Oakland going where it is. People have no regard for other people," said McCoy. "I mean, they literally jumped out of a car and jumped into another one and sped off and my daughter and my wife were stuck in the vehicle, you know, they couldn't get out. Someone had to come and break the sunroof open to get them out."
McCoy added the ongoing crime issues in the city compelled his family to move from Oakland and he lamented the indifference shown by criminals who seemingly act with impunity.
"We moved out of Oakland but our kids still go to school here and unfortunately, my wife and my daughter were caught in the middle of something that apparently - I mean, this is why we left," said McCoy. "It doesn't matter the time of day, people are just going about their business just wreaking havoc on other people's lives. It's very unfortunate."
Police urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the department's Felony Assault Unit at (510) 238-3426.
