Home invasion suspect arrested after using extinguisher on cops
The incident began on Derby Street near College Avenue in the Elmwood neighborhood Wednesday evening.
A man with a fire extinguisher who broke into a Berkeley woman's home Wednesday was arrested after turning the extinguisher on police, authorities say.
The Elmwood resident called BPD around 6:40 p.m. to report a home invasion that had just occurred in the 2600 block of Derby Street near College Avenue, according to radio dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.
The suspect, who was armed with a fire extinguisher, had broken her door and was still in the area, she said.
Read more about crime by neighborhood in Berkeley.
As officers quickly responded, a dispatcher put out the man's description over the radio and said he had left westbound on Derby Street, still carrying the fire extinguisher.
Minutes after the original call, a patrol officer spotted the man on Benvenue Avenue south of Derby Street, around the corner from the break-in report, according to radio dispatches.
When officers tried to stop the man, he refused their orders, and instead began spraying them with the fire extinguisher, Berkeley police said.
A struggle ensued, with officers ultimately using a WRAP restraint device to take the man into custody, BPD said.
After the arrest, the man was medically assessed at the scene, police said.
One community member asked TBS for information after seeing more than a dozen patrol vehicles at Derby and Benvenue.
"Some of the cops look like they rolled around in construction dust," he said.
The suspect's name was not immediately available pending the booking process.
This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.
