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Two suspects believed to have targeted vessels in a California estuary have been arrested by the Coast Guard – after months of thefts and fights with boaters.
At least one suspect – who has not been named – was charged with possession of stolen property.
Investigators believe two people committed most of the thefts in the Oakland Estuary, located between Oakland and Alameda and near San Francisco.
“There has been an increase in crime on the waterway, and this is likely due to a few new anchors who recently purchased a sailboat and anchored in the Oakland Estuary,” Oakland police spokesman Paul Chambers said. Fox News digital.
Now detectives are contacting victims and local harbor masters as the investigation deepens.
According to locals, so-called ‘pirates’ have been plundering the Oakland estuary for months on larger boats – and the arrest of ‘a few’ suspects was announced this month
In August, a woman posted a photo of two men who she said were “actively stalking and stealing.” Community members rely on watchdog groups to know which marinas are being targeted. It is not clear whether these are the two men arrested by the Coast Guard
Photos of other residents of the small boats that ‘pirates’ would use as they plundered other crafts around the estuary
The thieves navigate to larger boats and plunder them, taking anything they deem valuable, including the engine.
When they’re done, they sink the ships or dump what’s left of the boats miles away in the harbor or along the coastline.
The Oakland Police Department has received a $166,000 state grant from the Department of Boating and Waterways and is in the midst of a 90-day cleanup project.
They aim to remove most of the abandoned ships from the estuary by December.
The department is joining forces with the Coast Guard and Alameda Police to crack down on the crime — after months of community outrage.
During a community meeting in September, several residents shared alleged anecdotes about their run-ins with the thieves.
A woman recalls a time when she rescued a man in the middle of the night after the “pirates” cut the line of his sailboat during an argument, leaving him stranded in the water.
“If there had been any wind at that time, I wouldn’t have been able to go out and rescue this young man, who had no engine and was unable to drive that boat,” the woman said.
Residents of Oakland and neighboring Alameda pledged in August to gather into watchdog groups, conducting much of their business through Facebook.
At least one suspect was charged with possession of stolen property, and two individuals in particular were alleged to have committed most of the thefts.
U.S. Coast Guard, Oakland and Alameda police work together to catch the criminals
The Oakland Police Department plans to use a $166,000 state grant to pull abandoned and demolished ships from the water, with the effort set to wrap up around December
A local resident, Marianne Armand, identified two men she had seen regularly in the area on August 11.
“Oakland/Alameda people – HIGH ALERT!!! – these boys are actively stalking and stealing,” she wrote.
‘Several incidents at EYC (Encinal Yacht Club), but no evidence. We’ve had several calls to the police, but they can’t do anything unless we catch them.
If you see them, take pictures and call the police. We tracked them out of our marina on Wednesday evening. They were in the area again on Thursday evening.’
She attached images to the post showing two bearded men on a white rubber boat.
One man wore a gray hoodie with a vest and sunglasses, the other wore a black winter coat with a camouflage hat that obscured half of his face.
The photo was printed and posted at the entrance gate of a local marina with a note: ‘Attention. Seen around OYC (Oakland Yacht Club), EYC and all of Marina Village. Early in the morning and at dusk – thieves (sic)!’
Armand’s husband, Dan Hill, uploaded photos of several stolen boats days later, along with a call to action for Alameda residents.
‘Alameda sailing friends!! Let’s send out a patrol at night,” he wrote.
‘Donated boat with spotlight. I have a yellow/white flashing light to use. Start with shifts. Just be present and run those bastards away!’
Commenters under the post labeled local authorities as “rent-a-cops,” with one person writing, “Why are Alameda police essentially helping them? Why don’t they ask them for proof of ownership, escort them and confiscate the boats?’
Hill said he was working with the Coast Guard, which had “begun a report on all of this activity.”
It is unclear whether the men depicted are the men who were arrested.