Berkeley police: Park debris dispute leads to skillet attack

A walk in Berkeley's Aquatic Park turned violent Wednesday when police say a homeless man used a skillet and tree branch to attack pedestrians.

A 67-year-old man was walking with a friend on the west side of the Aquatic Park lagoon when they encountered debris on the path at about 6:30 p.m., Berkeley police said in response to a Scanner inquiry.

When the man moved the debris, police say the suspect "suddenly appeared from a nearby tent and started yelling" at them.

The suspect then began swinging a stainless steel skillet at a passerby who tried to intervene, authorities said.

In response, the passerby — a 39-year-old man — used pepper spray to fend off the blows, most of which missed him, police said.

According to police, the suspect then grabbed a 3-foot branch and began swinging it at the older man and his friend.

At some point, someone called 911 to report what was happening.

A Scanner reader saw five police cruisers with their lights on enter the park on Frontage Road, while another officer parked near the Berkeley Animal Shelter.

Officers questioned several people before heading south from the shelter, he said. He asked TBS to learn more.

Berkeley police ultimately arrested Shawn Strength, a 49-year-old homeless man, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and other crimes.

Strength appears to have kept a largely low profile, with no arrests listed in California since 2011, according to public records and accounts, which indicate ties to Chowchilla.

Strength has just one charged case in Alameda County Superior Court: misdemeanor allegations of criminal threats and resisting arrest from 2024. But the case was dismissed only days after filing, according to court records.

Thursday afternoon, Strength's booking photograph could not be provided because he was taken to the hospital prior to jail, authorities said.

The Scanner will update this story when the photo is available.