Berkeley man charged with torture after DV arrest
Kashani Raney is also facing charges in connection with gun parts for a stolen Glock that were hidden in his apartment, BPD wrote.
A Berkeley man is facing torture and false imprisonment charges after being arrested by police last week, court papers show.
Kashani Raney, 32, was also charged in connection with gun parts for a stolen Glock that had been hidden in his University Avenue apartment, Berkeley police wrote in charging papers.
Raney is prohibited from having guns or ammunition due to his criminal record, according to court papers.
As a result of their investigation, police determined that Raney had tortured his pregnant girlfriend for hours Aug. 7 while their 1-year-old baby was in another room.
He choked her until she passed out, covered her face with a pillow and bit her, leaving clear injuries, police wrote.
It wasn't the first time Raney had choked the woman, rendering her unconscious, she told police.
In another incident, she said, he put a gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger, but the weapon failed to go off, police wrote.
BPD arrested Raney on Aug. 11, the day they learned about the allegations, according to court papers.
Last week, the Alameda County district attorney's office charged Raney with torture, false imprisonment by violence, felony domestic violence, firearm possession by a felon and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
He was ordered to stay away from the victim in the case, according to court records.
Raney was convicted of felony domestic violence in Marin County in 2014 and witness intimidation in Alameda County in 2015, according to charging papers.
As of Monday, he remained in custody without bail at Santa Rita Jail, booking records show.
Raney's bail could be reassessed at a hearing Aug. 26, where he is also slated to enter a plea.
The Scanner has requested a booking photograph of Raney and will update this story if it becomes available.
As of last week, there had been 176 domestic violence reports in Berkeley in 2025 compared to 163 last year, according to BPD data. That's an 8% increase.
