2 charged in fatal Oakland Starbucks laptop theft
Laptop robbery at an Oakland Starbucks ended in tragedy
California man loses his life trying to chase down the thief.
Two convicted robbers have been charged with going to a Starbucks in Oakland, Calif., on New Year’s Eve and swiping a laptop computer from a man who was mowed down and killed trying to get it back.
Police said the theft happened shortly before noon and led to the hit-and-run death of Shuo Zeng, a 34-year-old software engineer, according to reports.
Zeng was struck and killed when he ran out of the Starbucks after his stolen computer and tried to stop the thieves from leaving in a BMW SUV, Fox 2 San Francisco reported Friday.
Mugshots for Byron Reed, 22, left, Javon Lee, 21. (Alameda County Sheriffs Office)
Javon Lee, 21, and Byron Reed, 22, both of San Francisco, were arrested by Oakland cops on Wednesday.
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Reed was charged with murder. He was accused of driving the getaway car which hit Zeng.
Lee was charged with manslaughter. They were both charged with robbing Zeng.
A third suspect was being sought, Fox 2 reported.
Reed was on parole after serving a sentence for robbery, the East Bay Times reported. Lee has been convicted of robbery, the news outlet reported.
At an arraignment Friday, Reed was jailed without bail and Lee was jailed on bail set at $250,000
Afterward, Shaquila Reed told reporters she was Reed’s sister and that he was innocent.
«He (doesn’t) deserve this. My brother was not there,» she said.
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Zeng’s death occurred on the day he was celebrating his 34th birthday, the station reported. He had moved to California to work after attending graduate school at Kansas State University, according to Fox4KC.
