Video of rioting aftermath of Oscar Grant III at Oakland BART station.
JAN 07 2009 — About a dozen of the protesters then began smashing windows of nearby businesses and cars, including several city of Oakland vehicles parked near 17th Street and on San Pablo Avenue, just north of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza after Mayor Ron Dellums made statements regarding the investigation of Oscar Grant’s shooting death by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. Grant (an unarmed 22 year-old father) was shot while he was being detained by railway police after a scuffle between two groups of young men.
Peaceful protests began at the Fruitvale BART station where the shooting occurred January 1, 2009, but rioting extended to other areas, including 14th and Broadway, 14th and Madison. Eventually BART stations at Lake Merritt, 12th Street and Fruitvale were shut down. Several cars were also burned and dumpsters overturned as the crowd of rioters grew to the hundreds. Protesters threw bottles at about 200 police officers, including Oakland’s Tactical Operations Team and Housing Authority police officers, who arrived on the scene. Over 100 people were arrested by Wednesday night.
The shooting at the Fruitvale BART station was captured on video by bystanders.
Another cell phone video contains audio with crowd reaction after the shooting.
Video by Karina Vargas which includes her recap of what happened while she was capturing the conflict between BART police and Oscar Grant III — shot laying face down with his hands behind his back.
Karina Vargas described a female police officer coming after her to confiscate her camera. Vargas got on and off the stopped train to avoid the violence and was on the train when she refused to give the officer her camera phone on the other side of the train door. Vargas is the female voice that repeatedly is heard exclaiming “They just shot him!”
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Map of Oakland region near crime scene and rioting aftermath of Oscar Grant III shooting.
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Street level map of crime scene and rioting aftermath of Oscar Grant III shooting.