Walnut Creek Police continue to investigate an armed robbery and shooting that occurred early Saturday morning.
On January 4, 2026, at approximately 3:54 a.m., officers responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Kwik Serve gas station located at 1387 S. California Blvd. When officers arrived, they found a store employee suffering from a gunshot wound that was determined to be non-life-threatening. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Investigators say two masked suspects entered the store and attempted to steal cigarettes. During the incident, the employee confronted the suspects, leading to a physical struggle. The employee was shot during the altercation.
Detectives from the Walnut Creek Police Department began following up on leads, and later that evening, around 6:00 p.m., a 16-year-old juvenile was arrested with assistance from the Oakland Police Department. The suspect was booked into Juvenile Hall on charges of attempted robbery and attempted homicide.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at (925) 943-5844 or the Anonymous Tip Line at (925) 943-5865.
The little numbskull would shoot someone over some smokes?
And the store employee challenged both of them for stealing something that will eventually kill them anyway? (and he will probably get fired for doing it).
It seems like all of it was really unnecessary.
Walnut Creek continues to turn to sh**.
How about a town hall on exactly how and when they will really get tough on crime?
And no, closing the gas station doesn’t count.
Walnut Creek’s fate was sealed years ago by a council that prioritized arts and rec over good police work. You need the latter and the former is nice to have once you handle your other business. Embracing DEI and 30×30 initiatives were the death knell to what was once an outstanding department that didn’t miss much. To be fair WC isn’t the only local agency to fall into this trap. These initiatives and their unwritten quotas cause standards to drop. It’s basic math that’s too long to explain here. The numbers mandate the drop..it’s simple math. Hire whoever you want but ONLY if they can truly do the job. Promoting people who have bought onto the nonsense continues the cycle.
There was a mass exodus a little while back that will take a long time to recover from. Hope it doesn’t take another tragedy (or several) before the residents say enough is enough and people figure it out.
In a way they have a vested interest in driving long term residents out: Tax revenue.
A steady increase in crime is a great motivator.
Animals. And at 3:30am, on the hunt for fresh prey.
Aaaah…..another problem with a Disadvantaged At Risk Oakland Inner City Youth.
The suspect is from a vulnerable community without equitable access to smokes.
This is CoCo county, let the charge dropping, plea bargaining
and probation commence.
This will continue as long as store owners/employees cannot defend themselves or their property without fear of being sued.