Robbery during used car sale led to chaotic police call
It took hours for BPD to unravel what happened — in part because the victim waited to call police. Suspect Andy Man has not been charged.
The victim in a recent hit-and-run call in Berkeley turned out to be the suspect in a robbery involving a stolen car, authorities report.
Days later, many of the details remain unclear.
The incident unfolded Thursday evening during what was pitched as a used car sale, Berkeley police said.
The buyer, a man in his 20s, told police he had already paid for the car, a white Honda, when he realized it had a fake ID number.
He tried to get his money back to no avail.
After a "brief struggle," the seller got into a blue BMW and attempted to leave, authorities said.
Read more about crime in Berkeley.
In the minutes that followed, a friend of the buyer shoved a shopping cart into the BMW, police said.
That's when the suspect — 22-year-old Andy Man of Pleasant Hill — opened the BMW door and pointed a gun at the victim, according to police.
"Afraid for his life," police said, the victim drove the stolen Honda into the BMW, injuring Man.
The driver then jumped out of the Honda and ran off, afraid Man would follow him, police said, leaving the Honda to roll into a parked AC Transit bus on Martin Luther King Jr. Way south of Ashby Avenue.
Andy Man. BPD
Man ended up at a nearby hospital, where police found him with possible head and neck injuries, BPD said. He was later taken to Highland Hospital for treatment.
It took hours for police to unravel what happened — in part because the victim did not make a report until about 9 p.m.
BPD ultimately arrested Man on suspicion of robbery, theft by false pretenses, receiving a stolen vehicle, vehicle theft and other crimes.
Bail was originally listed at $165,000.
As of this week, Man is no longer in custody, according to booking records. No charges have been filed.