Man, 33, charged with robbing mail carrier at gunpoint

OAKLAND >> Federal prosecutors have charged a 33-year-old man with assault on federal employees, stemming from two October incidents when he allegedly pointed guns at a postal worker during an October robbery, court records show.

Javon Zachary of Oakland faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He was charged last week with assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and is set to appear in court Tuesday, records show.

Zachary is alleged to have robbed a United States Postal Service mail carrier on Oct. 20. He was arrested three days later, after he allegedly attempted to steal a car that he knew had run out of gas, then tried to push the stolen car to a gas station with the victim running after him, according to the criminal complaint.

The bizarre circumstances that reportedly led to his arrest are detailed in a sworn statement filed by a USPS inspector.

The statement alleges that three days after robbing a mail carrier at gunpoint on the 2300 block of Humboldt Street — and making off with a bag full of mail — Zachary approached a man who was pushing his disabled car near 69th Avenue and Hawley Street in Oakland. Zachary asked the man if the car would run, and the man said it would but that it was out of gas, according to the complaint. Zachary offered to help start the car, then when he got the motor running, pointed a gun at the man and tried to drive off.

The car made it a short distance before again shutting down. Zachary began pushing it to a gas station, with the victim running after him, the complaint alleges.

He arrived at a Mobil Gas station at 845 66th Avenue, and struck the victim with his gun when the man told the attendant not to sell Zachary gas, the complaint alleges. Police found mail on Zachary that had been stolen from the Oct. 20 robbery, the complaint alleges.

Police were called to the area and arrested Zachary. In an interview after he had been read his rights, Zachary allegedly admitted to robbing the postal worker but said it was a one-time thing.

“I wasn’t going to make a career out of this,” Zachary allegedly said. “I knew it was federal.”