Actually, I live extremely close to the intersection where Hassani was allegedly left. We do encounter the occasional wave of crime (businesses being held up on College, muggings by BART, or car thefts), but they are just that -- waves. The chances of owning a BMW around here are much, much higher than the chances of ever getting one stolen.
The reason for these crime waves, which happen a few times a year, is not the character of the neighborhood (which is upscale, college influenced, yuppie). It's the physical situation of it. 2 blocks from where this happened is a rapid transit station that travels the Bay Area. Within minutes, you can easily access Hwy 24 (leading to Hwy 580 and 80), down Claremont Avenue. Just over one block and you're not even in Oakland anymore, but Berkeley. You can head upwards easily to Hwy 13 N & S, or you can travel down Harwood and with a few very easy and quick turns, end up at another freeway entrance. If you make it to the Oakland far end of College Avenue, you can travel down Broadway into the worse parts of Oakland.
My point is, getaway is fairly easy around here. Add the quiet streets that snake above College Ave, the bustle of College Ave itself (and other major streets that intersect) and easy freeway access, and it's not that hard to get away. You also have a lot of commuters in this neighborhood, who aren't always at home during the day.
Also, I walk that corner regularly. In my opinion, there is no way you could "see through" the corner store unless you were really focusing on doing so and had zero glare. I don't see someone feeling safe leaving a child out back, and feeling they could mainly keep them within eyesight. As far as I'm concerned, the second you exit that driveway and take a few steps forward, you've pretty much lost sight of the back lot.
