In yet another case of rampant crime plaguing Democrat-run cities, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s city-owned SUV was stolen after a squatter thief broke into her office at City Hall and swiped the keys.
The incident occurred on Presidents’ Day when the building was closed.
“We know that someone jimmied open the mayor’s office, they stole the keys to her car, they went to the City Hall parking lot, they stole the car. This occurred on Monday,” Sam Singer, a spokesperson for the Oakland Police Officers’ Association, told Fox News. “She reported it, her staff reported it.”
The vehicle was recovered 24 hours after the theft.
According to reports, the thief, later identified as 29-year-old Logan Tell DeSilva, a former gym teacher, had been “squatting” inside City Hall since February 16.
DeSilva managed to evade detection over the holiday weekend, despite the presence of private security guards on site.
On Monday, DeSilva allegedly jimmied open the door to Mayor Lee’s third-floor office and grabbed the keys to her gray Ford Expedition, a $75,000 vehicle.
The perpetrator proceeded to the secure City Hall parking lot, where he drove off with the SUV undetected.
DeSilva has now been charged with burglary, auto theft, and vandalism.
The New York Post reports:
DeSilva is being held without bail and his arraignment is scheduled for Monday morning at Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
DeSilva’s LinkedIn profile lists him as a school teacher at North Hills Christian School, but an administrator at the school told The Post that DeSilva hasn’t been employed at the school for at least two years.
“Oh my goodness,” the school official said when informed that DeSilva had been arrested for allegedly stealing the mayor’s vehicle.
DeSilva apparently worked as a PE teacher and his mother continues to work for the school.
Mayor Lee, a longtime progressive Democrat and vocal supporter of police defunding and reforms, issued a statement emphasizing that “No one in Oakland should have to worry about their car being stolen, whether they’re a resident, a city worker, or the Mayor. Public safety is a priority across our entire city.”
Ironically, Lee herself has become a victim in a city where car thefts and burglaries have skyrocketed amid police shortages.
Fox News reports:
The theft comes months after the Oakland Police Officers Association claimed that the city had defunded the police, which Singer reiterated to Fox News Digital on Friday, adding that City hall uses private security and the city spends more than $20 million for private security for all its city properties.
“Crime in Oakland continues to be out of control because there’s not enough police officers and the mayor herself has now become a victim,” Singer told Fox News Digital.
Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland Police Officer’s Association, told KRON-TV last year, “The operational strength is about 530, so realistically, we’re down 300 police officers plus in our city just to be at a baseline.”
Oakland has seen a surge in crime, including auto thefts, under Democratic leadership that has prioritized “equity and inclusion” over law and order.
If even the city’s top official isn’t safe, what hope do everyday Oaklanders have?
The post ‘Defund the Police’ Advocate Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s Official SUV Stolen in Brazen City Hall Break-In appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.