Oakland police joined state and federal law enforcement agencies Thursday to announce the results of a multi-agency initiative officials said targeted repeat offenders responsible for a significant chunk of Oakland’s violent crime.

Between March and July, police carried out “Operation Disarm,” a 90-day effort to reduce gun violence in Oakland and Alameda County. They seized 76 illegally possessed firearms, and federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against 51 people, U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said.

“These 51 individuals are part of that small group of individuals who simply refuse to play by the rules and who are responsible for much of the violent crime we see in Oakland and in the area,” Missakian said during a news conference at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland.

At the conference, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives displayed rifles and semi-automatic pistols on a table, examples of some of the weapons they’d recently confiscated.

According to Missakian, among those charged:

50 had prior felony convictions, including some with multiple felony convictions

29 had a combined 71 prior gun-related convictions

26 were on probation, parole, or federal supervised release when they allegedly committed the new offenses

27 had prior violent felony convictions

10 had prior domestic violence convictions

Police believe more than half belong to a gang

The operation, led by the ATF, included the Oakland Police Department, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, California Highway Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, Oakland Housing Authority Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

Representatives from the FBI, Oakland Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and other federal, state, and local agencies attend Thursday’s press conference. Credit: Roselyn Romero/The Oaklandside

Missakian said he and his office came up with the idea for the operation late last year, but that the March 7 shooting at an Oakland nightclub convinced them action was necessary.

“We had been thinking about doing more in Oakland prior to that, but once that shooting happened, it focused our attention,” he said.

The shooting at EZ’s Lounge, an unpermitted nightclub on 14th Street, killed Latetia Bobo, a 33-year-old San Pablo middle school teacher, and Markise Martin, a 25-year-old Stockton father. Five other people were wounded.

Federal prosecutors in May charged Jarvis Toussaint, 40, of San Joaquin County, with firearms offenses connected to the shooting but did not charge him in the deaths of Bobo or Martin.

At the start of Thursday’s news conference, officials cited Bobo’s death and the 2021 Interstate 880 shooting that killed 23-month-old Jasper Wu as a catalyst for the partnership.

“We owe it to each of them, and also to their families, to do more to help protect the residents of this great city and area from the devastating impact of gun violence,” said Missakian. “This is not the end; this is just the beginning.”

Officials announced the operation as Oakland continues to report significant declines in violent crime

Examples of firearms seized during Operation Disarm on display. Credit: Roselyn Romero/The Oaklandside

According to OPD’s latest crime data, violent crime — including homicides, rapes, assaults and robberies — is down 18% year-to-date compared with the same period last year. Crime is also falling by large percentages in many other parts of the country. Experts are debating the causes, but many believe the end of pandemic-caused disruptions may play a role.

As part of Operation Disarm, police shared intelligence, reviewed shooting data, screened cases across jurisdictions, and conducted “proactive enforcement” in neighborhoods with persistent violence, FBI Special Agent Scott Schelble said. 

Schelble said they identified more than 100 “high-priority violent crime subjects in Oakland” and contributed to the investigations that led to the federal charges.

In a press release, federal authorities mentioned other people indicted as part of Operation Disarm.

Federal prosecutors charged Brice Burford, 25, with illegally possessing firearms after a previous domestic violence-related misdemeanor conviction. At the time of his arrest, Oakland police were investigating him for his alleged role in a robbery on “the Blade,” a stretch of International Boulevard in East Oakland known for pervasive sex trafficking.

Prosecutors also charged Kawan Hardy, 33, and Jamonn Blincoe, 32, with illegal firearms possession in connection with a Jan. 23 shooting in a parking lot across the street from two Oakland schools.

This story has been updated to clarify that the ATF led the operation.

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