Crime & Safety

Man Carrying Unloaded Rifle Causes a Ruckus at Grand Avenue Safeway

The man told officers he is from Israel, where carrying an unloaded rifle in public is legal, Piedmont police said.

A man carrying a rifle on his shoulder caused a flurry of police activity at the Safeway supermarket, 3747 Grand Ave., Oakland, at noon today (Wednesday), police said.

Piedmont officers arrived at the market first and had the man in custody by the time Oakland officers arrived at 12:03 p.m., according to an Oakland Police Department bulletin.

The gun was unloaded and the man did not have any ammunition in his immediate possession, Oakland police said. 

The man told police he did not want to leave his rifle in his vehicle, where it could be stolen.

Piedmont Police Detective Willie Wright said the man told officers he is from Israel, where carrying an unloaded rifle in public is legal.

Oakland police seized the rifle, and the case will be evaluated for possible prosecution, the OPD bulletin said.

According to Oakland police, a new California law passed in 2012 makes it a misdemeanor to carry an unloaded rifle or shotgun outside of a motor vehicle in an incorporated city, subject to certain exceptions.

Carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun was previously lawful under California "Open Carry" laws, the OPD bulletin said.

The Grand Avenue Safeway is located about two blocks outside the Piedmont city limits.

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