Berkeley, California (Wednesday, October 13, 2021) - On October 8th at 12:20 pm, a 59-year-old man was arrested at Dwight Way Shelter after a contract worker saw a gun in the man’s room and notified staff (no weapons are allowed inside the shelter). When the shelter contacted BPD, officers formed a team of officers to contact the man inside his room (currently asleep). Recognizing the increased potential for violence when contacting an armed person, these officers were also equipped with ballistic shields and less-lethal munitions. After shelter staff put the facility on lock-down, officers safely contacted the man inside his room—where they discovered a loaded un-serialized handgun (AKA Ghost gun) on the nightstand. The man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a handgun and for being in possession of a firearm without identification marks (Case 2021-00046410)
On October 8th at 3:50 pm, officers responded to the Black and White Liquor Store after a man got into an argument with staff and pulled out a handgun—threatening the staff person. Although the man had already left the store, officers spotted the man a few blocks away and detained him. Although the man did not have a handgun with him, officers reviewed the store’s video surveillance recording and saw that the man had the firearm previously. When officers searched the man’s residence, they found a loaded handgun hidden inside the oven. The man (a 42-year-old Berkeley man) was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, brandishing a weapon and other violations (Case 2021-00046458).
On October 10th at 9:18 am, officers responded to the 1300 block of Rose Street after a resident discovered that a man and woman had broken into the garage. The resident recognized the man from a previous news article written about the man a few months ago. After confronting the pair, the man and woman left the garage and the resident called BPD. Shortly thereafter, officers spotted the suspects in the area of University Avenue and Bonar Street and attempted to detain them. While the woman remained, the man ran away southbound on Bonar Street. As officers chased after the man on-foot, officers saw the man remove a firearm from his waistband and discard it in some bushes along the way. After officers caught-up with the man, they searched the area where he had discarded the firearm and found an un-serialized assault pistol (AKA “Ghost gun”) with a high-capacity magazine. Officers arrested both suspects (a 28-year-old man, no address and a 23-year-old Pittsburg woman) on suspicion of trespassing, possessing an assault weapon, and several other weapons violations (Case 2021-00046785).
On October 11th at 11:53 pm, officers responded to the City of Pinole after being notified by Pinole PD that they had detained the driver of a vehicle that was associated with a catalytic converter theft that occurred in Berkeley last month (captured on surveillance cameras). Inside the vehicle, officers discovered an un-serialized short-barreled AR style rifle (AKA Ghost gun) with a high-capacity magazine and a BB gun. The driver (a 19-year-old Richmond man) was arrested on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy, and several weapons violations (Case 2021-00040075).
The Berkeley Police Department takes great pride in keeping our community safe. We appreciate the public’s support and are pleased that we were able to bring justice to those who wish to do harm to our community.
