Oakland store hit by 13th burglary, even as crime in the city is down

OAKLAND, Calif. – A family-run tobacco store in Oakland fell victim to its 13th victim after burglars rammed a car into the store and stole cigarettes.

The family has operated Lucky 7 Cigarettes in Oakland's Little Saigon neighborhood for more than 20 years, but the store has experienced more than a dozen break-ins in recent years.

Even though they feel punished, the owners continue to run the company.

The latest break-in occurred around 3 a.m. on Tuesday. Surveillance video showed the burglars breaking through the security gate at East 12th Street and Seventh Avenue in an Acura RDX.

After the theft, the burglars fled, some by car and some on foot.

Oakland police said they caught two suspects who tried to escape.

Ket Trinh, the owner, said through an interpreter that the recent break-in cost the family tens of thousands of dollars.

Trinh is unsure how long the business can last given the repeated financial losses.

Lisa Trinh says her brother, who is raising an 11-year-old daughter and has a health condition, may have to keep the business afloat despite the burden of repeated repairs, a barely balanced pension and difficulty paying rent.

“Every hit that was made. It traumatized her again. Like they can't sleep and think, how can this happen to them again,” said the family's interpreter.

Meanwhile, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Police Chief James Beere announced a 55% decrease in burglaries citywide compared to last year. They sympathized with the owners of Lucky 7 Cigarettes.

“Our officers get up every day and work hard to make sure we arrest suspects,” Thao said.

Beere said, “I realize that if you are Lucky 7 and have been burglarized multiple times, it doesn’t feel like an improvement to you. But many other retailers have actually expressed that they feel safer, and they have experienced fewer break-ins.”

Both Thao and Beere recognized that more needs to be done to combat both violent and property crime.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. Email Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan