5 teens arrested in Oakland, connected to 10 cases

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - Five teenage girls are behind bars for a string of robberies in Oakland.

Police say they were targeting women, walking alone near several BART Stations.

For nearly three weeks, five teen girls all between the ages of 14 and 16 had been at the center of a string of strong-arm robberies across the city of Oakland.

Police say they were targeting women said to be traveling solo and at times caught off guard while on their phone.

"The victims didn’t report seeing a weapon, but some did sustain injuries and those injuries were very minor.

None of those victims were transported to the hospital, but they were physically assaulted," said Oakland police public information officer, Marco Marquez.

Police say the teens were singling out women walking near the West Oakland and Rockridge BART stations.

"I don’t know why I lucked out and wasn’t one of the women who were hit because I was here," said Sally Maxwell from Oakland.

Maxwell heard about the robberies but it didn’t derail her routine. She walks near the Rockridge BART station most every day.

We caught her with her head down, on her phone and asked her about it.

"I don’t know what would happen if a bunch of young people came after me. I was thinking about that, what would I do? I wouldn’t just give up my phone. It would be a fight so, unless they have a knife or a gun, it’s going to be a fight," said Maxwell.

Cellphones, purses and other personal items were stolen, not to mention a white Nissan Maxima, which is what police say the girls used as a getaway car.

It was reported stolen on November 11th from Emeryville and pulled over by Piedmont Police on November 14th at a 7-Eleven on Grand Avenue.

Employees say the teens were cornered by police in their parking lot and that the teens hit one of the officers’ cars, trying to escape.

"Where are their families? What is wrong with these kids," said Maxwell.

Oakland police have pinned them to 10 cases. Right now the teens have not been charged.

Piedmont Police say they’re looking for a connection to other robberies, since two younger guys were seen in that same car, robbing a woman on November 10.