Welcome to California: Oakland librarian kidnapped during daytime robbery

OAKLAND, CA - Authorities with the Oakland Police Department (OPD) said that they have arrested a 57-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping and robbing a librarian who was leaving her job.

According to reports, the suspect, Clive Bryan, has been charged with kidnapping and second-degree robbery in connection with the October 21st incident. Bryan was arrested weeks later and has since denied being in the area where the incident occurred. 

The victim, a librarian at Lakeview Library, told police she was at a bus stop near the library when a man approached her and sat down on the bench. He allegedly referred to her as his "white master" and made lewd comments. He told her that he had a knife and that he would kill her in front of whoever was present if she didn't comply with his demands.

Authorities said that the woman told police she never saw a knife, but that the man had his hand in his jacket and acted like he had one, so she complied with his demands. He forced her to walk to a nearby bank and withdraw several hundreds of dollars in cash for him.

After that, the robber walked her back to the bus stop and stayed until she got onto a bus and left. Court records state that detectives seized video from the bank and sent it around to other officers, one of whom recognized Bryan. On December 3rd, Bryan was arrested. During an interview with the police, Bryan allegedly denied having been in that neighborhood for years. However, he did say that he was living out of his van and had stayed in various parts of town.

He also denied knowing the woman, but then identified himself in the bank video footage before walking back his comment, saying that his vision is poor and then requested a lawyer.

A judge set Bryan's bail at $150,000. As of this writing, he remains at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin with a court hearing set for later in the week. Bryan's lawyer requested a judge to lower bail or release him. Bryan has yet to enter a plea. 

In a separate incident in Orange County, California, a robbery crew has been taken into custody after Good Samaritans in San Bernardino County intervened to help an elderly female victim. According to KTLA, the incident happened on December 5th when two women and one man approached the woman and attempted to steal the jewelry he was wearing.

Deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department responded to the area on the attempted robbery, but were told that the trio fled in a waiting vehicle. The robbery crew's vehicle was spotted approximately two miles away and the three suspects, identified as 30-year-old Maria Caldarau, 35-year-old Miheala Gardian, and 33-year-old Ovidiu Alexandri Stan were taken into custody. All three are residents of Fullerton, California.

The sheriff's office said that Caldarau and Stan were found to have warrants for their arrest on other counties for robbery, theft from elderly, and grand theft from a person.

All three have been booked on charges of attempted robbery, theft against an elderly person, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Detectives believe that there are other victims out there. Their photos will be released in hopes that others will come forward. 
 
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Sign in to comment

Comments

Powered by LET CMS™ Comments

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2024 Law Enforcement Today, Privacy Policy