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Suspects use blowtorch to break in, steal California Lottery tickets

They are reportedly regular customers!

Camera image of suspect
Todd Betzold

No matter what it is, people will find a way to make something happen and that is exactly what two suspects in California did while using a blowtorch to break into a store and steal lottery tickets!

The incident

The burglary took place around 2 a.m. PT on September 13 at Lao Market, located at 1619 International Boulevard in Oakland, according to the shop owner.

According to the Oakland Police Department, the two suspects used a blowtorch to soften the window. Once softened, they were then able to knock out the window and enter the store.

The suspects reportedly stole lottery scratch-off tickets from the market. Besides the stolen tickets, officials said they also caused about $4,000 worth of damage to the store.

Adding insult to injury

Since the incident was caught on security cameras, the owner of the market told KTVU that she recognizes the suspects as customers of the store.

She told KTVU that she’s frustrated with the situation taking place, but she is scared to talk about it.

The Oakland Police Department’s Burglary Section is asking anyone with information about the burglary to contact them at (510) 238-3951. If you happen to have videos or photos of the incident, those can be sent to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.

New month, new big winners

While those two suspects were trying to steal California Lottery scratchers to win some money, lottery officials announced some big winners to celebrate in the month of September.

One of those lucky winners was from the August 31 Powerball drawing. One lucky California Lottery player bought a ticket for that drawing and ended up winning more than $1 million!

The winning white ball numbers for that drawing were 4, 34, 35, 38, and 69, and the Powerball number was 19. The lucky ticket matched all five of the white ball winning numbers to earn a prize of $1.18 million.

The winning ticket was purchased at Romey’s Liquor Store, located at 9 Main Street, Suite 105 in Woodland. For selling the winning ticket, the lucky lottery retailer earned a bonus of more than $5,800.

The lucky winner has six months to come forward to claim their winnings.

Another lucky California Lottery winner hit it big during the recent Mega Millions jackpot run, which made its way up to $800 million before one lucky ticket in Texas matched all the winning numbers.

During the September 6 Mega Millions drawing, one ticket sold in Southern California matched five of the six winning numbers to win a prize worth $2.23 million.

The winning white ball numbers for that September 6 drawing were 6, 23, 41, 59, and 63, and the Mega Ball was 25. The lucky ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers to win the big prize.

The winning ticket was purchased at ARCO, located at 29700 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City. For selling the winning ticket, the store earned a bonus of more than $11,000 from the state lottery.

Enjoy playing the California Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

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