Oakland's latest gold-related robbery was aparently as easy as taking rings from a baby.
A 34-year-old woman was pushing her 3-year-old daughter in a stoller along Bancroft Avenue in East Oakland when a man and a boy -- reportedly as young as 11 -- stole their jewelry in a brazen daylight heist on Thursday.
The robbers snatched a gold necklace and earrings from the woman before pulling the rings off of the toddler's fingers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The same assailants may have been responsible for a similar heist about a half hour later several miles away, the newspaper reported.
This fits into a pattern of gold thefts going down in the East Bay, according to the newspaper. The areas around the Fruitvale BART and the residential areas near Lake Merritt are in particular popular targets, police say.
In May, a 42-year old gardener was shot and killed by four teenagers for his gold necklace and iPod. With gold selling for $1,700 an ounce, it's a lucrative goal and thus a handy target, Oakland police say.
Police and Crime Stoppers are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspects, The Mercury News reports. Call 510-238-3426 with information.
