A Venezuelan rock band, Zeta, was robbed of approximately $12,000 worth of equipment and personal belongings in downtown Oakland on Monday afternoon.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
A GoFundMe, organized by the band’s manager. Marshall Rones, has raised over $13,000 to help the band fix and replace the stolen items.
Zeta is currently on its way to Fullerton, in the midst of a 45-day tour across the U.S.
According to Rones, who described the incident on the GoFundMe page, the band parked its van in downtown Oakland on Monday around 12 p.m. and left to pick up some coffee.
KTVU reported they were at a shop in the area of Webster and 15th street. Rones said the band parked in front of restaurants "right around the corner" from the coffee shop and left for no more than 10 minutes.
They returned to find multiple windows smashed, and numerous items stolen from the vehicle, including computers, musical equipment, cash and personal documents, including green cards, passports and social security cards.
According to KTVU, the stolen passports are particularly concerning because Venezuela does not have diplomatic relations with the U.S. which makes them difficult to obtain.
In addition, the thieves also stole original art, videos and works in progress which Rones wrote "cannot be replaced."
In addition to the estimated $12,000 worth of stolen equipment, the bands also had to repair their van. Rones said the band was forced to ask for money from friends and family to cover the cost of the repairs.
The band reported the crime to Oakland Police, but Rones said they were told these types of crimes happen at least 100 times a day in the city. He added the police "likely won't be able to do much (if anything) to help recover these items, help mitigate any of the costs associated with the van repairs, or stolen funds."
Oakland Police told KCBS Radio they were contacted by an individual at 3 p.m. on Monday who filed a ciritzen report for an auto burglary. The crime report has not been assigned an investigator yet, so they were unable to confirm whether or not it was related to the reported Zeta incident. No further details were released.
A witness told the band that the theft involved multiple suspects who were driving a red car.
The band has stopped donations to the GoFundMe at $13,787 so they can receive the funds.
"The sheer amount of people that have reached out has been overwhelming to say the least. I know (the band is) definitely feeling all the love and positive vibes right now," Rones wrote on the site. "We are all so beyond grateful and appreciative of you all. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We love you, and we hope to see you all soon."
Related
