OAKLAND — A crew working for NBA Entertainment lost more than $40,000 in equipment after thieves broke into their van in Oakland, police said Thursday.

The three men went inside a Panda Express in a shopping center off Hegenberger Road on Tuesday at about 2 p.m. and returned to the van about 20 minutes later to find a window smashed out and several items missing, police said. Five laptops worth an estimated $16,000, camera equipment worth $25,000 and cell phones and personal belongings were gone.

Over the years, the shopping center has been a hot spot for car burglaries. It is situated across Interstate 880 from Oracle Arena and the Coliseum in East Oakland.

Police plan to increase patrols of the parking lot and other areas media and tourists may frequent during the NBA Finals in Oakland.

An NBA Entertainment representative could not be immediately reached for comment.

Harry Harris and David DeBolt cover breaking news. Follow them at Twitter.com/HarryHarris15 and Twitter.com/daviddebolt.