A well-liked Oakland, California, bakery owner who was seriously hurt in a botched robbery has died, her family and friends say. The attack happened in broad daylight.
A Feb. 9 statement posted to her Facebook page reads –
“It’s with a heavy heart that we announce that Oakland baker, small business owner, social justice activist, and community member Jen Angel has been medically declared to have lost all brain function and will not regain consciousness.”
“Her official time of death was 5:48pm (PT).”
According to CBS News, Oakland police said the attack happened in the afternoon of February 6 in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo bank less than a mile from her shop, Angel Cakes.
Police told the outlet that Angel was trying to pull out of a parking spot when a car got in her way. The man then walked up to her car, broke into it to get her purse, and drove away in a getaway car.
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Angel ran after the thieves to get her purse back, but got caught in the door of their car and was pulled more than 50 feet, NBC Bay Area reports, citing police.
She had injuries that could have killed her, so she was put into a coma by doctors. Three days later, Angel was said to be dead. The Facebook statement reads –
“Per Jen’s wishes, her organs will be donated, and her committed medical team has informed the family that those organs will serve to lengthen and improve the lives of up to 70 people.”
Angel started Angel Cakes in 2008, and a GoFundMe campaign says that the business will stay open, “supported by Jen’s estate and run by the talented team that Jen built.”
Emily Harris, who was close to Angel, said she was heartbroken when she heard that Angel had died. She told KRON4 that Jen has been a rock of love and support and a person who brings a lot of people together in Oakland.
As of February 10, no one had been caught because of this case. Angel’s family said in a statement that if someone is charged, they want to honor her ideas about social justice.
The statement reads –
“As a long-time social movement activist and anarchist, Jen did not believe in state violence, carceral punishment, or incarceration as an effective or just solution to social violence and inequity.”
“[The] family is committed to pursuing all available alternatives to traditional prosecution, such as restorative justice. Jen’s family and close friends ask that the media respect this request and carry forward the story of her life with celebration and clarity about the world she aimed to build.”