A night out at an illegal nightclub turned deadly and ended up with many being detained by police, with one person fatally shot at an underground club early Sunday morning in an East Oakland neighborhood not far from the Coliseum.
People picked the wrong night to visit an underground, illegal nightclub late Saturday night and early Sunday morning in the Highland neighborhood of East Oakland, just south of the Oakland Coliseum. The Chronicle reports that one person was shot and killed at that club on 85th Avenue near G Street, and police responded to a ShotSpotter alert there at around 3:45 am Sunday.
The shooting victim died at the scene, according to the Oakland Police Department, but dozens of people partying at the club found themselves detained by police and cuffed with zip-ties for hours on end.
KTVU’s report on the nightclub shooting has the video below showing many people detained with zip-ties around their wrists. KTVU also adds that clubgoers say they were locked inside before police even showed up, and that some attendees say they were detained for “up to eight hours.” That video even catches one enterprising detainee who managed to scram by just sneaking away from police and climbing over the gates.
“A lot of people were, like going crazy,” one person who was detained for several hours told KTVU. “A little rumble, running around and stuff. It was a little hectic, you know, especially when they closed the doors, a lot of people there, they were like, they didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s my first time here, and it’s my last time here, honestly, because it’s always a rodeo.” Attendees speak out after being detained by @oaklandpoliceca in wake of deadly shooting at illegal nightclub near 85th Ave. & Blaine. Aaron Dickens @KTVU reports pic.twitter.com/FD0jDECHwN
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) July 28, 2025
NBC Bay Area says they were detained as part of the investigation into the illegal nightclub rather than the shooting itself. It’s not clear if any of those people are going to face charges, and the Chronicle says police did not specify any allegations against those who were detained. Though KTVU spoke to many of the clubgoers after they were released from detainment, and they said the place has been operating “for months.”
KPIX noted that the identity of the victim has not been released, as police are still trying to notify next of kin.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department at (510) 238-3821 or (510) 238-7950, or send any videos and photos available to [email protected].
Related: SF City Attorney Shuts Down Two 'Wildly Illegal' Nightclubs, Three Gambling Dens [SFist]
Image: Google Street View
