UNNAMED GIRL - 13 yo - Oakland, CA

After a 13-year-old girl was apparently taken during a carjacking in Oakland Tuesday afternoon, police requested a statewide Amber Alert.

Authorities issued this image of a suspected kidnapper and a vehicle he may have been driving. An Amber Alert was issued Feb. 11, 2014. (Credit: CHP / Oakland Police Department)

The child abduction occurred at 12:40 p.m. in Oakland, where a 35-year-old man was being sought, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man was possibly driving a 2001 red Infiniti QX4 SUV, with California license plate number 6JFM648.

“The vehicle and child were taken during a carjacking and the suspect is armed with a knife,” CHP stated.

The girl was described only as a black 13-year-old.

In a news release, the Oakland Police Department stated that officers were called to the scene of a Safeway parking lot after a man was seen entering a vehicle and forcing the driver to drive away. A child was “reportedly seen in the rear seat,” the news release stated.

Anyone who sees the girl or the kidnapper was asked to call Oakland police at 510-238-3641 or to call 911.

Why in the world would they not name the child?  Surely they can dig up a school picture of her if nothing else.

UPDATE: Person of Interest Found After Reports of Carjacking, Kidnapping Deemed Unfounded

Roy McCamey, 54, has been picked up by police and will be questioned by investigators.

 February 13, 2014 at 06:10 AM







Investigators are searching for 54-year-old Roy McCamey.

Update on 2/13 By Bay City News—

Police have located a person of interest sought after a reported carjacking and kidnapping outside an Oakland grocery store Tuesday that was later determined to be without merit, a police spokeswoman said.
 
Roy McCamey, 54, was picked up by another law enforcement agency and will be interviewed by Oakland police investigators, Officer Johnna Watson said.
 
McCamey's name became connected today with a series of changing stories that took place at a Safeway Store at 4100 Redwood Road at about 1 p.m. Tuesday. Witnesses outside the store told police that a knife-wielding man forced the driver to drive away while a 13-year-old girl was in the car, Officer Johnna Watson said.
 
The California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert searching for them, which was canceled when investigators determined the suspect and victims knew each other and there was no kidnapping, Watson said. McCamey, who is believed to frequent the area round the Safeway, was identified him as a person of interest after investigators released images of a shoplifter captured by store cameras witnesses came forward to report that the person looked like McCamey, police said.
 
Watson said law enforcement agencies have had contact with McCamey in the past, and that he has a history of committing thefts, although he doesn't have a history of any violent offenses. Witnesses had told police that the suspect came out of the store, approached the victims' car, which was traveling through the parking lot, opened a door and got inside, according to Watson.
 
Although witnesses overheard the suspect talking to the male victim, they thought it appeared that they didn't know each other, police said. Police had initially described the car as a red or burgundy 2001 Infiniti SUV but after tracking down the owner of the car with the reported license plate number, investigators concluded that the car they were looking for was actually a sedan.
 
Police yesterday located the sedan's driver and after interviewing him, investigators determined that all three people knew each other and that the girl in the car was actually over 18 years old.

Update By Bay City News 7:31 p.m.—

An Amber Alert issued after a reported carjacking and kidnapping in Oakland Tuesday has been canceled as the suspect and victims knew each other and were not kidnapped, a police spokeswoman said.

Police today located the driver of a red sedan that was sought after witnesses outside the Safeway store at 4100 Redwood Road told police that a knife-wielding man forced the driver to drive away while a 13-year-old girl was in the car at about 1 p.m., Officer Johnna Watson said.
 
However, after interviewing the driver police determined that all three people knew each other and that the girl in the car was actually over 18 years old. The Amber Alert was then canceled.
 
Police are still searching for a person of interest in the case, identified as 54-year-old Roy McCamey, who is believed to frequent the area round the Safeway. McCamey is described as black, between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds.
 
Police identified him as a person of interest after investigators released images of a shoplifter captured by store cameras and witnesses came forward to report that the person looked like McCamey.
 
Watson said law enforcement agencies have had contact with McCamey in the past, and that he has a history of committing thefts, although he doesn't have a history of any violent offenses. Witnesses had told police that the suspect came out of the store, approached the victims' car, which was traveling through the parking lot, opened a door and got inside, according to Watson.

Although witnesses overheard the suspect talking to the male victim, they thought it appeared that they didn't know each other, police said. Police had initially described the car as a red or burgundy 2001 Infiniti SUV but after tracking down the owner of the car with the reported license plate number, investigators concluded that the car they were looking for was actually a sedan. 

Update By Bay City News at 4:49 p.m.—

An Amber Alert that was issued after a reported carjacking and kidnapping at an Oakland shopping center on Tuesday has been canceled, according to the California Highway Patrol.

"All involved parties have been located," CHP officials said on Twitter this afternoon. The alert was issued after witnesses reported seeing a knife-wielding man steal several items from a Safeway store at 4100 Redwood Road and then take a vehicle at knifepoint shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to police.

An older man and a teenage girl were inside the vehicle, according to the witness reports. Police indicated earlier today that they were looking for a person of interest in the case, 54-year-old Roy McCamey, whose last known address was in Oakland.

They identified him as a person of interest after investigators released images of the shoplifter captured by store cameras and witnesses came forward to report that the person looked like McCamey, who is known to frequent the area around the Safeway.

Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said law enforcement agencies have had contact with McCamey in the past, and that he has a history of committing thefts, although he doesn't have a history of any violent offenses.

McCamey is described as black, 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing about 165 pounds. The suspect in Tuesday's incident was described as a black man in his 40s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 165 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair. He was wearing a green shirt, a blue jacket, blue jeans and headphones, police said.
 
The victims in the incident were described by witnesses as an elderly black man and a black girl about 13 years old, according to police. However, Watson said earlier today that there had been no missing-persons reports for people matching those descriptions -- a factor that she said "is certainly a concern for us and for investigators."

"There are a lot of unanswered questions that surround this case," Watson told reporters at a briefing at police headquarters this morning. Witnesses told police that the suspect came out of the store, approached the victims' car, which was traveling through the parking lot, opened a door and got inside, according to Watson.
 
Although witnesses overheard the suspect talking to the male victim, they thought it appeared that they didn't know each other, police said. However, she conceded, "It's always possible that the suspect knows or has a relationship with the occupants of the car."
 
Watson also said, "It's possible that the victims are afraid to come forward because they don't want to get into trouble."

Police initially described the car as a red or burgundy 2001 Infiniti SUV with a license plate number of 6JFM648 but later said witnesses told them that the vehicle might actually be a burgundy or red sedan.
 
Watson said police have tracked down the owner of the car with that license plate number and he told them that he still owns the car, which is a 2001 Infiniti SUV, but that he now lives in another state and has a license plate from that state. The man told police that he doesn't know what happened to his old California license plates, according to Watson.

Update By Bay City News at 12 p.m.—

Oakland police announced today that they have identified a person of interest in what was initially reported as a carjacking and kidnapping at the Lincoln Square Shopping Center on Tuesday.

At a news conference at police headquarters this morning, Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said the person investigators are looking for is 54-year-old Roy McCamey.
 
An Amber Alert was issued Tuesday afternoon after an incident outside a Safeway store at 4100 Redwood Road in which witnesses told police that a knife-wielding man had carjacked a vehicle with another man and a teenager inside it shortly before 1 p.m.
 
Police initially described the car as a red or burgundy Infiniti SUV with a license plate number of 6JFM648 but later said the vehicle might actually be a sedan. Watson said Tuesday afternoon that initial reports indicated that the man with the knife did not appear to know the occupants of the car, who were described as an elderly man and a girl about 13 years old.
 
However, she said this morning that police have not received any missing-persons reports that match up with the case. Just before the alleged carjacking, the suspect apparently shoplifted some items from the Safeway and then ran out of the store, Watson said.
 
McCamey was identified as a person of interest in the case after police released images of the shoplifter captured by store cameras and witnesses came forward to report that the person looked like McCamey, who is known to frequent the area around the Safeway.
 
Watson said law enforcement agencies have had contact with McCamey in the past, and that he has a history of committing thefts. McCamey is described as black, 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing about 165 pounds. The suspect in Tuesday's incident was described as a black man in his 40s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 165 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair.

He was wearing a green shirt, a blue jacket, blue jeans and headphones, police said. Police are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case, and anyone with information is asked to call police at (510) 238-3326 or call 911.

Original Story By Bay City News—

The California Highway Patrol has issued an Amber Alert for a vehicle that was carjacked from the parking lot of an Oakland Safeway store with a man and a teenage girl inside Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Reports came in around 12:50 p.m. of a man with a knife seen entering a vehicle outside the Safeway at 4100 Redwood Road, in the Lincoln Square Shopping Center off of state Highway 13, and forcing the driver to drive away, police said.

That vehicle was initially reported to be an SUV.  However, Oakland police say that the vehicle may be a sedan.

The vehicle contained an elderly black man and a black girl believed to be about 13 years old, Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said.

The car is described as a red or burgundy 2001 Infiniti SUV with a California license plate number of 6JFM648. Anyone who sees the car should call 911 immediately, police said.

"We don't want anyone approaching this vehicle," Watson said. "We have information that the suspect is armed with a knife ... so we want to approach this vehicle very cautiously."

The suspect is described as a black man in his 40s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with salt-and-pepper hair. He weighs about 165 pounds and was wearing a green shirt, a blue jacket, blue jeans and headphones, police said.

Just before the carjacking, the suspect was inside the Safeway and was apparently trying to steal something, Watson said. He then fled the store and approached the SUV with the knife, she said.

Police don't yet know whether he stole anything from the Safeway. Watson said multiple customers and employees witnessed the theft attempt, and others outside saw the carjacking. 

http://losgatos.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/amber-alert-issued-for-13yearold-girl-taken-during-car-jacking

Amber Alert false alarm draws scrutiny of system


Vivian Ho
Updated 5:32 pm, Thursday, February 13, 2014


Police investigate outside an Oakland Safeway, where a reported carjacking and kidnapping led to the
activation of the Amber Alert system. Officers later determined that no abduction had occurred.
Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

The license plate number flashed across freeway billboards. Phones buzzed and rang with the details.

It was all for nothing. A 13-year-old girl that was reportedly kidnapped during a carjacking outside a Safeway store in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon - spurring an Amber Alert - was neither a teenager nor an abduction victim, investigators later discovered.

Oakland police officials defended their decision to request the Amber Alert, saying they did their best to respond to a witness report that seemed credible.

But the incident ended Wednesday when investigators confirmed that an alleged knife-wielding shoplifter had apparently jumped into a car driven by a man he knew. In one of the passenger seats was a woman he knew, not a teenage stranger.

The false alarm raised questions about whether law enforcement officials took the correct steps in activating the Amber Alert, a powerful tool that has become a touchstone in finding missing children, and whether such miscues could lessen the impact of real emergencies.

Those concerns, though, don't square with the state's experience, said the California Highway Patrol, the agency that coordinates the alerts.

Officials said law enforcement agencies have been mindful of alarm fatigue, constantly weighing information behind alerts. And though false reports happen, they're rare: In the 12-year history of Amber Alerts in California, 14 were discovered to be hoaxes and 11 were ruled to be "unfounded" reports of abduction.

219 alerts in 12 years
Since 2002, the CHP has activated 219 alerts, while denying more than 350 requests from police because they didn't meet the state's criteria. The victim must be 17 years old or younger and in "imminent danger of serious injury or death," and the investigating agency must be able to confirm that an abduction took place.

Even still, the CHP won't activate an Amber Alert if there is no information available that, if spread through billboards, phones and other means, could be used by the public to assist in a recovery.

"Our main goal here is that we don't want the public to become fatigued by the Amber Alert," said CHP Officer Daniel Hill, an agency spokesman. "We're not going to activate it unless there's a legitimate use for it that can help the public help us. We intend to keep it for the most serious types of cases in which time is of the essence."

The situation Tuesday afternoon was one of those cases, Oakland police officials said.

Witness' report
They said a witness reported seeing the alleged shoplifter getting into a red four-door car, and believed the woman inside was about 13 years old. The car had been moving when the man approached it, leading witnesses to report it as a carjacking.

"It would be negligent and a failure on law enforcement's part if we did not take that information and move it forward in the proper fashion," said Officer Joanna Watson, an Oakland police spokeswoman.

In moments of uncertainty, it's best that law enforcement err on the side of caution, said Bob Hoever, director of special programs for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. As a former Amber Alert coordinator in New Jersey, Hoever said he has faced similar dilemmas before.

"You don't want to make the wrong decision, because a child's life is hinging on that decision," he said. "That's a lot of pressure you're putting on a person. I'd rather take the heat, erring on the side of the child rather than if a child had gotten hurt on my watch."

Mistakes will happen, said Tony Ribera, a former San Francisco police chief and the director of the International Institute of Law Enforcement Leadership at the University of San Francisco.

'We're human'
"The reality is we're human," Ribera said. "We have an obligation to make it as accurate as we possibly can, and I think any time it's perceived that we've made a mistake in judgment, we have to be held accountable."

Almost 680 children have been recovered safely because of Amber Alerts around the country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 2012, 13 cases nationwide were discovered to be hoaxes and seven were deemed "unfounded" reports like the one in Oakland, according to the most recent data available from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Reporting parties in hoax cases are typically charged with filing false reports, Hoever said.

"I feel bad about any disturbance or distraction the public gets," he said, but added that if people consider the potential benefit of an alert, "they will walk away with a different point of view."

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Amber-Alert-false-alarm-draws-scrutiny-of-system-5233436.php