Crime

Calif. Bakery Owner Dies Days After Violent Attack in Broad Daylight

Jennifer Angel, owner of Angel Cakes in Oakland, Calif., was remembered as a beloved social justice advocate

Published on February 10, 2023 04:56 PM

A beloved Oakland, Calif., bakery owner who was seriously injured in a robbery gone wrong has died days after the broad daylight attack, her family and friends say.

"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," reads a Feb. 9 statement posted to her Facebook page. "Her official time of death was 5:48pm (PT)."

Oakland police said the attack happened in the afternoon of Feb. 6 in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo bank located less than a mile from her shop, Angel Cakes, according to CBS News.

Angel was backing out of a parking spot when a car blocked her, police said, per the outlet. A man then approached her vehicle and broke into it to grab her purse, before fleeing the scene in a getaway car.

That's when Angel decided to run after the thieves to get her purse back, but instead was caught in their car door and dragged more than 50 feet, NBC Bay Area reports, citing authorities. She had reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries and was put into a medically-induced coma.

Angel was pronounced dead three days later.

"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," the Facebook statement reads.

Angel founded Angel Cakes in 2008, and according to a GoFundMe campaign, it will remain open, "supported by Jen's estate, and staffed by the talented team that Jen built."

Angel's friend, Emily Harris, said she was devastated when she learned of Angel's death.

"Jen has been such a pillar of love and support, a person who brings so many people together in Oakland," she told KRON4.

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As of Feb. 10, no arrests had been made in connection with the case. In a statement, Angel's family said that if someone is charged, they want to respect her beliefs surrounding social justice.

"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 statement reads.

"[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."