Crime log: Crash leads cops to drug stash; battery on Solano

We've rounded up exclusive updates on a few notable cases in Berkeley. If you have questions about local police activity, send a news tip to The Scanner. Photos are always appreciated.

HIT-AND-RUN CRASH DURING SCHOOL PICKUP A reader asked The Scanner about a hit-and-run collision Friday afternoon leading to an arrest near Rosa Parks Elementary in West Berkeley.

She said a driver ran a stop sign and struck a mother at Addison and 10th streets while she was on her way to get her kids.

There were no reported injuries, but the impact was significant enough to cause the airbags to deploy and moderate damage to the vehicles, BPD said.

Instead of stopping, said the witness, the driver jumped out and ran off. "The Berkeley police arrived and handled the situation," she added.

Berkeley police said the suspect, identified as Malcolm Thomas, 35, of San Francisco, ran into Jack in the Box before being arrested.

Police later located a large quantity of drugs in his vehicle as a result of the ongoing investigation, authorities said.

"This situation was very upsetting for many caregivers and students who were leaving school (Rosa Parks) and walking/driving in that area," the witness said. "Those of us who were there tried to use the situation as a teaching moment for our children/grandchildren to help them better understand that they cannot take it for granted that a car will stop even when there is a stop sign."

According to jail records, Thomas is no longer in custody, but the Alameda County DA's office has charged him with drug sales, including the possession of a "large quantity of contraband," and being out on bail at the time of the new case. He was also charged with possession for sale of MDMA, and hit-and-run driving, according to court records.

This week's criminal case is Thomas' third in Alameda County this year, according to court records. In January, he was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and related charges. In August, he was charged with possession of cocaine for sale, committing a new crime while out on bail, and other crimes.

His next court hearing is set for Sept. 30.

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RANDOM ATTACK ON SOLANO Police arrested a Berkeley man who randomly attacked a stranger on Solano Avenue in North Berkeley over the weekend, according to BPD.

The victim, a San Francisco resident in his 30s, was walking with a friend Saturday in the 1600 block of Solano, near Ensenada Avenue, when police say he was randomly attacked at about 11:20 a.m.

"Assailant wore black hoodie, ran west on Solano with several people in pursuit filming him," one witness told The Scanner. "Victim bleeding from scalp profusely. Girlfriend called 911, BPD arrived within few minutes."

Police say Javon Lee, 21, pushed the man down and punched him several times before fleeing into the nearby Safeway store in an effort to evade capture. 

As of this week, Lee remains in custody and has been charged with felony battery of a vulnerable victim. He has a hearing scheduled for Sept. 25 and no other cases listed in Alameda County, according to court records.

POLICE TRACK DOWN ROBBERY SUSPECT Earlier this month, a Berkeley woman in her 20s was walking on Oxford Street, between Virginia Street and Hearst Avenue in the Northside neighborhood near UC Berkeley, when a stranger punched her and took her phone.

Berkeley police say they tracked down the culprit and arrested him Saturday, at Shattuck Avenue and Cedar Street at about 9:20 a.m. Hoan Truong, a 30-year-old unhoused man, has now been charged with robbery. He was set for arraignment Wednesday.

ROAD RAGE GUN CASE: CHARGES FILED A Berkeley woman who waved a gun at another driver and told him to "go back to your country" is now facing criminal charges, authorities say.

The road rage incident, which dates back to March, took place at Ashby Avenue and Adeline Street in South Berkeley at about 1:40 in the afternoon.

According to police, the man — an American citizen of Hispanic descent — got out of his car after the woman shouted him. That's when she pointed a gun at him through the windshield, according to police. 

When BPD arrested the woman outside her house, she admitted she had a registered firearm with her. She told officers she had pointed it at the other driver in self-defense.

Last month, the DA's office charged Yonneem Severin, 56, with brandishing a firearm and carrying a loaded, concealed firearm in public, which are listed as misdemeanors.

Severin was released on her own recognizance after her arraignment last week. She is set to enter a plea in November, according to court records. 

She has no other criminal cases listed in Alameda County Superior Court.