Suspects sought in armed robberies of letter carriers
Postal investigators: $50,000 reward for information in separate cases
OAKLAND >> Law enforcement officials with the United States Postal Service asked for residents’ help in solving a series of armed robberies of letter carriers.
Outside the main post office Tuesday on Seventh Street in West Oakland, Rafael Nuñez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s San Francisco division listed two incidents late last year and another pair this month.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2020, three suspects brandished a firearm at a letter carrier in the 6500 block of Tremont Street before taking mail from the rear of his vehicle and driving away in a gold late-1990s model Honda CR-V.
Six weeks later, around 6:30 p.m. Dec. 31, two suspects robbed a letter carrier at gunpoint in the 9900 block of Bancroft Avenue before fleeing in a sedan.
This month’s pair of robberies, around 5:50 p.m. April 4 in the 2500 block of Bartlett Street and 12:30 p.m. April 9 in the 2300 block of East 29th Street, raised the stakes for officials.
“The Postal Inspection Service considers the protection of postal employees its No. 1 top priority. Letter carriers must be able to deliver mail without interference or any threat of violence,” Nuñez said.
“We are working these investigations with our partners at the Oakland Police Department. Oakland police officers are usually first on the scene when these types of crimes occur, and we’re very thankful for their response.”
Valley District general manager Aaron Jones reinforced Nuñez’s message in part: “Our letter carriers are the eyes and ears of the neighborhoods they serve. Every day, carriers make their rounds across this great city to ensure that each medication, letter and essential good is delivered to the residents of Oakland. We stop by every address from the early morning hours through the dusk of the evening to deliver and fulfill our duties.”
Although no letter carriers have suffered serious injury yet, Jones said that the suspects’ financial motives and use of guns were obviously concerning.
“We had two incidents where mail was specifically robbed. They were specifically looking for mail and on two incidents, the robbers were actually looking for postal assets such as keys, postal keys,” Jones said.
“Whether it’s tax season, or just an aunt mailing a letter from Contra Costa down to San Jose, our job is to protect the mail 100% of the time, so we’re always vigilant, we’re always on top of it.”
USPS staff members urged anyone with information not to try to approach or take suspects into custody, but to call 877-876-2455. Information shared will be kept confidential.