The Oakland Police Department said Thursday that several people were shot at an unsanctioned Juneteenth celebration after a fight broke out.
Violence erupted amid the crowd of 5,000 participants Wednesday night after “an illegal sideshow involving vehicles and motorbikes occurred,” Oakland police said. Victims were transported to various hospitals, however Oakland police said that there were no fatalities recorded from the incident, and that so far, no arrests have been made. (RELATED: REPORT: FBI Raids Democratic Oakland Mayor’s Home)
“A short time later, a fight broke out, and as the crowd headed towards the altercation, multiple shots were fired. Officers located several victims who were struck by the gunfire,” the police said. “We were all celebrating, there were sideshows, couple of fights that were going on – next thing we know, we all thought we heard fireworks, so we ran from the direction,” Tamia Robinson, a witness, told ABC 7 News about the shooting.
The Oakland police also observed that after the shootings, some “in the crowd punched and pushed officers” which resulted in minor injuries and one person being taken “into custody for assaulting an officer.”
Law enforcement is continuing to investigate the incident.
Oakland has had its share of tumult in recent days. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is facing a recall election in November due to crime spiking in the city during her time in office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Violent crime alone was up by 21% in 2023, according to a city-wide crime report.
The FBI also conducted a raid on Thao’s home Thursday morning, according to reports.
