Video: Female worker swings hammer at masked thief at pizza shop in Oakland where crime has been off the charts

Surveillance video caught the moment when a female worker resorted to swinging a hammer at a masked thief at a pizza shop in Oakland where crime just seems to grow worse by the day.

Indeed, video also showed Cybelle's Pizza employees using a recycling bin to fight off the crooks who entered the shop around 10:30 p.m. Friday, KGO-TV reported.

"They tried to steal the register. ... My employees were very, very brave. ...I told them don't do that ... but they had to defend themselves," owner Elizabeth Sanchez told the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Sanchez told KGO that Friday's incident was the latest of four similar crimes that have already taken place in her Oakland shop this year.

She added to the station that crime in the area is so bad that it's difficult to retain workers — and that she and her husband work seven days a week and are considering closing their Oakland location. KGO said they also have a San Francisco shop.

"Sales are down because nobody wants to come out; they're scared for their safety," Sanchez told the station. "We've seen a drop in sales, and we're worse than during the pandemic."

A representative from Mayor Sheng Thao's office noted to KGO that they've been working with Sanchez and other small business owners on better security, and Sanchez added to the station that a budget seems to be in the works for such a purpose.

"All of the business owners need help," she noted to KGO. "In-and-Out [Burger], Denny's, those are big chains — but what about us, [a] small business? Where are we at? For me, as an immigrant, this was the American dream. But now where is it?"

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom said earlier this week he's sending additional state officers to Oakland to curb the “alarming and unacceptable” crime wave there.

EXCLUSIVE: Bay Area pizza restaurant employees fight back after 4 robberies in the last monthyoutu.be

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