On October 22, 2020, at 11:15 am, the Oakland Police Department responded to the 1600 block of High Street on a report of a person wanted in connection with a double homicide that occurred in the city of Oakland.
The wanted man, who was armed with a firearm, barricaded himself inside a commercial building and held one employee hostage. The Oakland Police Department‘s Patrol Officers, Tactical Team, and Tactical Negotiation Teams immediately evacuated the surrounding area. The department asked those who lived and worked in the outer perimeter areas to shelter in place. Officers set a safety perimeter of approximately six blocks, and closed roads to traffic and pedestrian movement for public safety.
The primary focus was the de-escalation and safe release of the hostage and the peaceful surrender of the armed gunman. The Tactical Negotiation Team established communication with the gunman on-and-off throughout the morning and afternoon.
At 1:50 PM, after several hours of the OPD Tactical Negotiation Team’s communication with the armed gunman, the gunman safely released the hostage, who was unharmed. The OPD Tactical Negotiations Team continued to negotiate/de-escalation and encouraged the peaceful and safe surrender of the armed gunman. Throughout the incident, the gunman discharged at least 6 rounds of gunfire while inside the business.
At 4:45 PM, OPD’s Tactical Negotiations Team continued de-escalation/communication with the request of the gunman’s peaceful surrender.
At 4:58 PM, the armed gunman peacefully surrendered to the police. Officers recovered a high-capacity firearm.
There were no injuries.
We’d like to thank the following agencies for their assistance today: Oakland Fire Department, Falck Ambulance Service, Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, Alameda County Mental Health Care Clinicians, and the Oakland Police Department Mental Health Team.