The liberal producer's answer is to be more aware...why not it's not his money!

Film crew robbed at gunpoint in downtown Oakland

OAKLAND — Four members of a crew filming a television reality show in downtown Oakland were robbed at gunpoint Monday night of $50,000 worth of equipment and personal items, according to a victim and authorities.

The head of the crew said he was thrown up against a wall and that he and the other victims were forced to lay on the pavement, where the two robbers put guns to their heads and threatened them.

Chris Burns, 37,  an independent director of photography for the AwesomenessTV production “This Is Summer,” a reality show that follows eight 17-year-olds growing up in the Bay Area, said Wednesday the robbery “was really, really scary.  It’s the most terrifying robbery I’ve ever been a  part of.”

Burns, who lives in the Bay Area, said the robbery has prompted Awesomeness officials to decide they won’t film again in Oakland and that wherever they do film there will be either armed private security or police.

No security was present when the robbery happened about 10:15 p.m. Monday in a parking lot next to Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 1830 Webster St., where the crew had just wrapped up filming.

Burns said he and three other employees, all women, were in the lot and had just packed up film equipment into a truck when the two suspects confronted them with guns drawn.

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He said the suspects put guns to their heads and threatened them with violence if they did not cooperate and that he pleaded with them not to hurt anyone and to take anything they wanted.

The suspects fled with Canon video cameras and lenses,  monitors, chargers, batteries and carrying cases from the truck and took one of the women’s laptop and cell phone, Burns said.

“They were very systematic. I think they had been watching us,” he said.

Responding police searched the area but could not find any trace of the suspects.

Burns said they had filmed some segments of the show in Oakland before without any real problems.

He said he was aware of photographers and film and television crews robbed in Oakland and other cities before but did not think his crew would need security since they shot mostly during the day with large groups of people present. “This is the only time we were shooting at night,” he said.

Burns said he personally would film in Oakland again but would “absolutely, 100 percent be more aware and have proper security.”

“Oakland is a great place to shoot,” he said.

He said he feels bad about what happened because of the negative publicity it will generate but still feels people need to be made aware of what occurred..