A 7-Eleven manager in Oakland says he feels powerless after a teen mob stormed his store Saturday.
Sagar Sagar, the manager, was struck in the face with a metal door handle thrown through a glass door during the second wave of the attack, he told KTVU.
The incident began around 4 p.m. At the store on International Boulevard near 5th Avenue.
Roughly 20 teens flooded the store, stole merchandise, and fled, two employees told the station.
Workers quickly locked the doors and called 911.
Several attackers returned shortly afterward and tried to force their way back inside.
One person ripped the store’s metal door handle completely off.
The handle was thrown through a glass door, striking Sagar directly in the face.
Sagar said the crowd members were aggressive and cursed at him during the confrontation.
“I cannot do something. If I do something, police arrest me,” Sagar told KTVU.
Employee Jasshan Singh was stocking shelves when the chaos erupted.
“I feel scared. We can’t do anything,” Singh told KTVU. “We can’t even run.”
The workers said the group appeared to be between 14 and 20 years old.
Saturday’s incident was the sixth violent incident at the store this year alone, the employees said.
The store has also been robbed before, they added.
For Sagar, the trauma runs deeper than Saturday’s attack.
In September 2023, a man was found dead in the store’s parking lot.
Sagar discovered the body only hours after the store had been robbed.
“Why should we stay in Oakland?” The frustrated owner asked a reporter in a social media post accompanying video of the incident.
Oakland City Councilmember Charlene Wang, who represents the area and chairs the Council’s Public Safety Committee, responded to the latest violence.
“We’re working on securing International Boulevard,” Wang told KTVU. “This is a priority of mine.”
Wang said safety in the area is a priority for her office.
The store’s surveillance and bystander video captured the mob rushing through aisles and grabbing items.
Some teens could be seen running back out onto International Boulevard with arms full of merchandise.
The footage showed workers attempting to secure the premises as the group dispersed.
Oakland police were notified of the incident, according to the social media post from the scene.
No arrests had been announced as of the initial reporting.
The attack reflects a broader pattern of retail crime that has left Oakland business owners increasingly fearful.
Many have described simply going to work as feeling dangerous.
The frustration has reached a breaking point for some owners who question their future in the city.
In the viral moment that sparked widespread attention, roughly 20 teens rushed into the 7-Eleven on International Boulevard around 4 p.m. Saturday. They stole items and ran out. Workers locked the doors. The group returned. Someone ripped off the metal door handle and threw it through glass. Sagar was hit in the face. The teens looted again. The owner asked why any business should remain in Oakland.
The incident has amplified ongoing debates about public safety and enforcement in Oakland’s commercial corridors.
Business owners have repeatedly called for more visible police presence and faster response times.
Some have considered closing or relocating entirely.
The 7-Eleven workers’ accounts add firsthand urgency to those demands.
Their fear is palpable and their options feel limited.
Sagar’s statement about being arrested if he defends himself resonated widely online.
It captured a perceived bind facing small business employees in high-crime areas.
The KTVU interviews provided rare on-camera testimony from workers directly affected by the surge in retail theft.
Singh’s simple declaration — “We can’t even run” — underscored the sense of entrapment.
Wang’s committee leadership puts her at the center of legislative responses to such incidents.
Her promise to prioritize International Boulevard security will now face scrutiny from constituents.
The corridor has long struggled with violent crime and commercial vacancy.
Saturday’s mob attack added another data point to a troubling trend.
Whether increased security measures materialize before further incidents remains uncertain.