Senator Don Perata carjacked in Oakland
Saturday, December 29th, 2007You can’t make this shit up, people:
State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata was carjacked at gunpoint from his state car in North Oakland today.
Perata, 62, of Oakland was unharmed in the incident, which happened at about 1:45 p.m. as he was stopped in his state-leased red 2006 Dodge Charger at a red light at 51st Street and Shattuck Avenue.
“It’s nothing that I want anybody else to go through,” Perata said today. “It just happened so fast. It certainly ruins your day.”
Perata said he was waiting for the light to change when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a man walking up to him. The senator, who has campaigned against assault weapons and crime, said he mistook the man for a panhandler at first.
But then the man began pulling a mask over his nose and pointed an automatic weapon at him “gangster style” - holding it sideways-before tapping it on his window and bellowing at him, “Get out of the m- f- car.”
“And after that, I just lost interest in his face and I just stared at the gun,” Perata said.
Perata jumped out of the car, which police say may have been targeted for its 22-inch rims. The man got inside and took off. It was followed by an apparent accomplice in a gold 2000 Chevrolet Camaro that had been stolen earlier today, police said.
“Sometimes the holidays bring out desperate times for people, and he did the safe thing and just gave up the car,” said Perata spokeswoman Alicia Trost. “It’s just unfortunate, but we’re very happy that he’s uninjured.”
Сенатор раскатывает по Оакланду в новеньком красном Чарджере с 22-дюймовыми колесиками на деньги плательщиков. Конечно, разве можно кататься в чем-то еще? Carjacking в Оакланде - я в шоке! В шоке!
