Man charged with Berkeley carjacking, Oakland robberies
Suspect Jordan Benjamin led police on a high-speed chase and managed to escape, OPD said, but officers arrested him a week later.
Oakland Ceasefire officers arrested a man linked to a carjacking in Berkeley earlier this month as well as the robberies of two Oakland food vendors, court papers show.
The carjacking took place during what had been arranged as a car sale on Adeline Street on May 10, The Scanner reported previously.
The food vendor robberies took place the next day, according to charging papers.
When an Oakland police sergeant later spotted suspect Jordan Benjamin in the stolen car and tried to pull him over, Benjamin led him on a high-speed chase, committing "numerous traffic violations in a wanton disregard to public safety," OPD wrote.
During Benjamin's subsequent arrest May 20, OPD found a loaded, unregistered Glock handgun, according to court papers.
Emilie Raguso
On May 10, a man used an online app to set up a car sale in the 3200 block of Adeline Street at 6:45 p.m., BPD said previously.
But, when he got to the meeting spot, the alleged buyers carjacked him at gunpoint and stole his Audi.
OPD said the same Audi was linked to two armed robberies of food vendors on May 11, one of which took place at 1 p.m. in the 6000 block of International Boulevard and one that took place at 1:30 p.m. in the 6200 block of Camden Street in Oakland, about 1 mile away.
Surveillance video captured the Audi at both crime scenes, police wrote in charging papers.
Read more about robberies in Berkeley.
On May 12, an Oakland police officer saw the Audi outside Church's Texas Chicken, at 7301 Bancroft Ave. in East Oakland, and tried to stop the driver, who fled. OPD terminated the pursuit due to safety concerns.
A couple of days later, OPD found video footage of the Audi at a gas station and was able to identify the driver as Jordan Benjamin, 18, of Oakland, police wrote.
OPD also determined that Benjamin's cellphone put him in the area of all three robberies, according to charging papers.
Oakland Ceasefire officers arrested Benjamin on May 20 in connection with the robberies.
He initially denied involvement in the crimes but later "identified himself as being the driver of the Audi" for each of them, police wrote. He also "admitted taking the Oakland Police on a high speed chase" near Church's Chicken.
Jordan Benjamin. BPD
Last week, the Alameda County DA's office charged Benjamin with the Berkeley carjacking, both Oakland food vendor robberies, and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, according to court papers.
Judge Elena Condes then released him on his own recognizance, ordering him to "obey all laws and be of good conduct."
She also ordered him to be placed on a GPS monitor, according to court records.
Benjamin is scheduled to enter a plea Wednesday.
The Scanner added a booking photograph to the story after publication when it was provided by BPD.
Carjackings spiked in Berkeley last year but have been much less common in 2024, according to BPD data.
Robberies overall are also down year-to-date compared to prior years.
