<![CDATA[ The Berkeley Scanner ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/favicon.png The Berkeley Scanner https://www.berkeleyscanner.com Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:33:32 -0700 15 <![CDATA[ Police: Man charged with sex crime after hounding girl at park ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/19/arrests/berkeley-police-girl-park-felony-sex-crime-charge/ 65f8c7e2a9aa930001d1d29d Mon, 18 Mar 2024 17:21:27 -0700 A repeat offender who followed a 12-year-old girl at a Berkeley park earlier this month has been charged with a felony sex crime, court papers show.

Mark Blackmore, who was released on his own recognizance, was charged last week with contacting a minor to commit a sex crime described as lewd acts with a child under 14, according to records online.

On March 2, Blackmore approached the girl in San Pablo Park at about 12:45 p.m., Berkeley police wrote in court papers.

Blackmore asked the girl her age, if she smoked and if "she was fast," police wrote.

Blackmore, who is 61, also asked the girl to guess his age and told her he was 34, according to Berkeley police.

When the girl began walking away, "Blackmore told her to stop and come closer," BPD wrote. Then he asked her "if she dates grown men and if she wanted to be his wife."

When the girl said she was scared, Blackmore gave her $2, police wrote. She then left the area and told her mother what happened, according to BPD.

Read more about sex crimes in Berkeley.

Police said video surveillance footage from San Pablo Park corroborated the girl's account of what happened.

At the time of his arrest on March 9, police wrote, Blackmore had a no-bail warrant for a parole violation.

He also had a 1980 arrest linked to assault to commit rape and multiple arrests related to robbery and burglary, police wrote in charging papers.

Longtime felon charged with Berkeley robbery attempt
Police say the woman had returned home to find a man with a gun standing outside her door.

Blackmore has six convictions dating back to 1982 for robbery and burglary, according to charging papers.

Mark Blackmore. BPD

Last year, he was charged after trying to rob a woman at gunpoint outside her South Berkeley home, police wrote at the time.

A plea deal in that case in March 2023 resulted in a 16-month sentence at San Quentin State Prison to be served at half time along with credit for time served.

His prison release date was not immediately available.

Blackmore was arraigned last week in connection with the new case and is now set to enter a plea Tuesday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, according to jail records online.

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<![CDATA[ Woman dead in Berkeley's first homicide of 2024 ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/17/crime/berkeley-police-homicide-university-avenue/ 65f77203a9aa930001d1bd61 Sun, 17 Mar 2024 16:30:12 -0700 Berkeley police are investigating a homicide that left a woman dead inside her apartment on Sunday afternoon, according to community reports and emergency dispatch recordings.

Official details remain slim but, according to radio traffic reviewed by The Berkeley Scanner, a woman called police shortly before 2:50 p.m. saying that her mother had tried to kill her inside an apartment in the 1300 block of University Avenue (near Acton Street).

Responding officers found the mother, a 60-year-old Berkeley woman, dead in her apartment, according to radio traffic. She had serious facial lacerations and was disfigured.

Scroll down for updates to the story.

According to dispatch recordings, building security staff said the daughter was "covered in blood" when she called police.

The daughter had no wounds on her body, according to emergency radio traffic. She eventually told first responders that the blood belonged to her mother.

A dispatcher told officers she found a history of reports of the mother having been victimized by her daughter, according to radio traffic.

Berkeley police have called in homicide detectives to take over the investigation, which is Berkeley's first homicide of the year.

The Berkeley Police Department has not responded to multiple requests for information.

But other community members confirmed that a homicide investigation was underway.

The Scanner will update this story when more details are provided.

Update, 7:30 p.m. Police have confirmed that one person was detained in connection with the fatal stabbing Sunday, which took place around 2:45 p.m. in the 1300 block of University.

No other suspects are at large, police said, and there is "no continued danger" to the community.

BPD declined to release or confirm any other details as of Sunday night, citing the ongoing investigation.

Update, March 18, 3:30 a.m. Berkeley police arrested 23-year-old Gabriella Reimer at 10:45 p.m. Sunday on suspicion of murder, according to jail records online.

She is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday, jail records show.

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<![CDATA[ Suspects held to answer after fatal shooting near UC Berkeley ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/15/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-shooting-murder-suspects-held-answer/ 65f36974a9aa930001d1a6e0 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:49:42 -0700 Two men who were charged with the murder of a youth pastor near UC Berkeley in 2022 have been held over for trial along with two women police say helped them cover up the crime.

Isamaeli "Eli" Mata'afa was killed, and three of his relatives were wounded, in the shooting at Telegraph and Durant avenues on Oct. 8, 2022, shortly after 1 a.m.

On Wednesday, after a two-day preliminary hearing, Judge Mark McCannon held all four defendants to answer in the murder case, which can now proceed to trial.

The first day of the hearing took place in late January. It continued Wednesday morning and concluded at about 1 p.m.

Read more about shootings in Berkeley.

Police say Michael Monrroy-Ramos and Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo, now both 25, opened fire on Mata'afa, 29, and three of his younger relatives after provoking a fight with them on Telegraph Avenue.

"They walk up on complete strangers asking them 'what's up?' That leads to a fight," Judge McCannon said while making his ruling. "They bit off more than they could chew. When the fight was over, they pulled out guns and started shooting at the victim and his relatives."

A final farewell: Youth pastor Isamaeli ‘Eli’ Mata’afa laid to rest
“He wanted to be a part of change,” his sister said. “He wanted to offer everybody in our community what we were offered. It was his passion.”

Police have said Mata'afa, who has been described as a peacemaker, was not part of the fight but intervened to stop it.

Several bullets struck him, causing him to collapse on Telegraph Avenue, where police quickly found him and rendered aid. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

A bullet that penetrated his lower back and hip area, including his sacrum and multiple organs, was determined to have caused the fatal wound, according to court testimony this week.

Telegraph shooting: Lead investigator takes the stand

Retired Berkeley Police Sgt. Jennifer Wilson, who was the lead investigator on the case, testified for several hours Wednesday before McCannon made his ruling.

Before the shooting, she said, the men had been drinking for hours at The Tap Haus, nearby on Durant Avenue.

The men had fought briefly with each other inside the bar around 1 a.m., as captured on surveillance footage, and then left together, Wilson said.

The pair came into conflict with Mata'afa and his relatives minutes later.

Michael Monrroy-Ramos. BPD

Police used witness statements, cellphone data and surveillance footage to identify Michael Monrroy-Ramos and Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo as the suspects in the case.

Surveillance footage showed a brief physical altercation between the men and their unarmed victims outside Bear Basics, which is located at Telegraph and Durant avenues, police said.

The camera footage did not show the shooting itself.

After the fight, one of the men fired 10 rounds and the other fired seven rounds — but police never recovered their guns or determined which shooter fired the fatal bullet, according to court testimony.

The men managed to walk away from the crime scene but were arrested in the weeks that followed.

Both men were charged with Mata'afa's murder along with the attempted murders of his three relatives, who were ages 22, 24 and 28 at the time.

UPDATE: 1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting near UC Berkeley
One of the men was pronounced dead at Highland Hospital in Oakland, The Berkeley Scanner learned shortly before 8 a.m.

Shifting narratives about Telegraph shooting

When police interviewed Gutierrez-Rebollo in October 2022, his story changed repeatedly, Wilson said.

He ultimately admitted to the fight on Telegraph Avenue and said he and Monrroy-Ramos both fired guns that night, according to court testimony.

Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo. BPD

Gutierrez-Rebollo eventually claimed "he was aiming at the victims' legs and at the ground" with the goal of scaring the group away, Wilson said during cross-examination.

Police said Gutierrez-Rebollo and his girlfriend, Marianna Romero, returned to the area after the shooting.

According to BPD, they picked up a gun Monrroy-Ramos had ditched in the bushes on Durant Avenue and later got rid of it.

The couple has denied those allegations, with Romero saying that she had simply been looking at plants outside a UC Berkeley dorm while Gutierrez-Rebollo smoked a cigarette.

Wilson said Romero had actually been the "lookout" for Gutierrez-Rebollo while he searched for the gun. Romero then felt the recovered item "through his clothing" and believed it to be a firearm, Wilson said.

Defense attorney Peter VanOosting described his client, Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo, as "remorseful" in his statement to police.

"They are never gonna forgive me," he told police, according to VanOosting, when he was asked about Mata'afa's's family. "I'm sorry from the deepest part of my heart, and just let God do his will."

David Cohen, representing Michael Monrroy-Ramos, said his client described firing 10 shots into the air and never expressed remorse for killing anyone — which Cohen implied meant Gutierrez-Rebollo had been the more culpable of the two.

Cohen and VanOosting both told the judge that the prosecution had failed to substantiate murder charges, even for the purposes of a preliminary hearing, when the standard of proof is low.

Prosecutor William Boselli did not make any closing arguments.

Even still, Judge McCannon said it wasn't hard to hold the defendants to answer.

"You say that they weren't the aggressors," McCannon told Cohen and VanOosting. "They played a part in this. They approached some people that they don't even know."

"This is a preliminary hearing," the judge said. "You don't shoot 7-10 times if there's no intent to kill."

2 men incited fight, opened fire during Berkeley shooting, police say
Police say the Oct. 8 shooting was “one of the most horrific acts of violence our community has experienced in recent memory.”

"Arsenal of guns" found during murder investigation

Defense attorneys for both women — Jessyca Monrroy, 33, and Marianna Romero, 25 — said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them.

In the weeks after the shooting, authorities charged both women as accessories after the fact.

Jessyca Monrroy. BPD

Monrroy had simply gotten a late-night phone call from her brother, Monrroy-Ramos, saying he needed a ride on Oct. 8, 2022, her attorney Jesse Adams said.

That night, Monrroy-Ramos told his sister police had beaten him up, Adams said, arguing that his client Jessyca hadn't known about the shooting.

Wilson testified that Monrroy and her brother had returned to the scene later to look for evidence — while Monrroy insisted they only went back to look for a ring her brother had lost.

In addition to the accessory charge, Monrroy is also facing a felony gun possession charge. She is a convicted felon, according to court papers, and thus prohibited from owning guns or ammunition.

Police recovered multiple firearms during a search of her bedroom in Union City, Wilson testified Wednesday, including a shotgun under her bed, a loaded handgun in a jacket pocket in her closet, a "big plastic tub" of "firearm pieces" and "hundreds of rounds" of ammunition.

Monrroy insisted that the weapons all belonged to her brother, according to court testimony.

Marianna Romero. BPD

Marianna Romero's attorney Gary Sherrer argued that there was "absolutely no evidence" that she ever tried to help cover up a crime. He also noted that she had no criminal record or prior contacts with police.

He also argued that the charge against his client should be reduced to a misdemeanor.

"The evidence is marginal at best as to her involvement," he said.

McCannon said he disagreed.

"There was enough," the judge said.

"To me it seems like they were really involved," McCannon continued, "plus the arsenal of guns Ms. Monrroy had at the home. She knows that there's guns there in her room. She's a felon and she shouldn't have them."

Both women are out of custody while the men have been in jail since their arrest in 2022.

All four defendants are now set to return to court March 27 for arraignment after the prelim.

See complete coverage of the case. The Berkeley Scanner will continue to share developments as they happen.

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<![CDATA[ Fire at THC extraction lab in Berkeley leaves 1 man burned ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/14/berkeley-fire-department/berkeley-thc-extraction-lab-fire-man-burned/ 65f3597ca9aa930001d1a650 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:46:30 -0700 A man sustained serious burn injuries after a small explosion Thursday morning in a THC extraction lab in northwest Berkeley, authorities report.

The call came in just before 8:45 a.m. about a fire inside the lab in the 600 block of Cedar Street, Deputy Berkeley Fire Chief Keith May said.

A reader told The Scanner that the fire appeared to have taken place in a brick industrial building just west of the railroad tracks on the north side of Cedar Street.

Arriving fire crews found one burn victim: a man with second-degree burns on his hands, May said.

Read more about crime by neighborhood in Berkeley.

Emmanuel "Isaac" Gamboa, who works next door to the THC-making facility, told KTVU that he heard an explosion and saw the burn victim run outside covered in flames. Gamboa described it as "a crazy sight."

Berkeley firefighters on the scene in the 600 block of Cedar Street after a fire Thursday. Ariel Nava Photo

Deputy Fire Chief May told The Scanner that an employee of the facility had been working with chemicals and flammable gas when there was a small explosion in the 55-gallon drum he was using.

The man was taken to a local emergency room before being moved to a burn center for treatment, the Berkeley Fire Department said.

A lab spokesman told The Scanner on Thursday night that the worker was undergoing treatment and expected to recover and, counter to early reports from BFD, had managed to avoid any inhalation injuries.

May said BFD's hazmat team remained at the scene "mitigating the chemicals" as of about 11:40 a.m. after the fire — which did not spread beyond the barrel and the worker — was extinguished.

May said the scene would be turned over to a hazardous waste company for cleanup and that the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No damage estimate was provided.

Note: This story was updated shortly before 5:30 p.m. with several additional details from BFD and again shortly before 10 p.m. with comments from the extraction facility.

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<![CDATA[ Police: Man grabbed girl, 16, outside restroom; charges filed ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/13/courts/berkeley-police-man-grabbed-girl-felony-sex-crime-charges-filed/ 65f22d6ba9aa930001d19412 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 16:47:51 -0700 A man has been charged with felony sex crimes after grabbing a teenage girl when she tried to use a public restroom during the Berkeley farmers market on a recent weekend, court papers show.

Romeo Swan, 25, has been charged with assault with intent to commit a sex crime on a minor and false imprisonment by violence, which are both listed as felonies, court papers show.

Berkeley police wrote that Swan followed the 16-year-old girl into the women's restroom at the Veterans Memorial Building, at 1931 Center St., on Saturday, March 2, at about 12:30 p.m.

Read more about sex crimes in Berkeley.

First, he took a radio she had left outside her stall, police wrote. Then, when she opened the door, "he held his arms out and blocked her from leaving. He repeatedly asked her for a hug and a kiss."

When the girl "made a run" for the exit gate at the veterans building, police say Swan "ran after her and grabbed her from behind by wrapping his arms around her waist" and squeezing hard.

The girl managed to push Swan's arms away and run out of the building, police wrote.

Unfortunately, the girl still needed to use the bathroom, police wrote, so she had the farmers market manager escort her back into the building.

This time, the man stood guard outside the bathroom to keep the girl safe.

While she was still inside, however, "Swan emerged" from the room next door and tried to go back into the women's restroom, according to Berkeley police.

When the manager blocked him from entering, Swan threatened to hurt him, police wrote.

Swan also "made multiple spontaneous statements that were sexual and violent in nature" during his detention, Berkeley police wrote in charging papers.

Romeo Swan. BPD

On Friday, the Alameda County DA's office charged Swan with felony criminal threats in addition to felony sex crime allegations, according to court papers.

Police said Swan was listed as unhoused in Berkeley and also was linked elsewhere to an Emeryville address.

According to the court file, the DA's office opposed a defense motion Monday seeking to have Swan released on his own recognizance.

On Wednesday, he entered not-guilty pleas in connection with the case.

He is now set for a bail hearing Friday followed by a preliminary hearing April 29.

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<![CDATA[ Man charged with arson after Berkeley house fire ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/12/berkeley-fire-department/berkeley-house-fire-man-charged-arson/ 65f0941aa9aa930001d181f4 Tue, 12 Mar 2024 13:18:16 -0700

A homeless man has been charged with arson in connection with a Berkeley house fire last week, court records show.

A witness saw the suspect leaving the home in the 2600 block of Benvenue Avenue on March 4 just as the fire alarm started sounding, BPD said this week in response to a Scanner inquiry.

The witness had been parked outside shortly before 12:35 p.m. and saw a man, later identified as 36-year-old Tony Weems, leaving the home at Benvenue and Derby Street.

Police also found video surveillance "showing the suspect leaving the area where the fire started as smoke began to form," Berkeley police said.

Berkeley police officers recognized Weems from the video and witness photograph, BPD said.

On March 6, a patrol officer spotted Weems in the 2400 block of Dwight Way and took him into custody at about 7 p.m.

He was arrested on suspicion of arson as well as a probation violation related to drug paraphernalia, BPD said.

Berkeley house fire at Benvenue, Derby under investigation
“The owner was always somewhat of a mystery to most neighbors,” one community member told The Scanner.

According to court records, Weems was charged March 7 with the March 4 arson case as well as an arson case from Aug. 18, 2023.

Tony Weems. BPD

In that incident, police said, Weems set a dumpster on fire at the Julia Morgan Theater at 2640 College Ave.

The fire caused the building sprinklers to go off inside, police said.

Weems also has three felony burglary convictions dating back to 2006, according to court records.

As of this week, he remains in custody with a combined bail of $165,000.

He is scheduled for arraignment in one arson case on Wednesday and for a pretrial hearing in the other arson case Thursday.

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<![CDATA[ Berkeley house fire at Benvenue, Derby still under investigation ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/11/berkeley-fire-department/berkeley-house-fire-benvenue-derby-investigation/ 65ec99bd49465d000175581b Mon, 11 Mar 2024 10:36:08 -0700 A house fire last week near Willard Park remains under investigation this week, Berkeley fire officials said.

On Monday, March 4, the Berkeley Fire Department responded to a call about smoke coming from a three-story house on the corner of Benvenue Avenue and Derby Street at 12:35 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Keith May said.

"Our crews arrived at 12:38 and reported heavy smoke coming from the first floor," he said. "Neighbors reported that the home was vacant. Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly."

No one was hurt and the estimated damage remains unknown, May said over the weekend.

Even though the home was unoccupied, crews found a substantial amount of property inside the home, he said.

Courtesy of the Berkeley Fire Fighters Association

Area residents alerted The Scanner to the blaze.

"The owner was always somewhat of a mystery to most neighbors," one community member told The Scanner. "This house has looked abandoned for the past 20 years."

The home has at times been targeted by squatters, particularly since the owner, Warren Havens, died last year, the resident said.

There were some reports that a person with a scooter was seen getting into the house and "leaving in a hurry" around the time of the fire, he said.

Man charged with arson after Berkeley house fire
Berkeley police officers recognized Tony Weems from surveillance video and a witness photograph, BPD said.

The community member said the home used to be located by the Anna Head School on Bowditch Street and at one point served as a dormitory for the facility. The Scanner was unable to confirm that as of publication time.

In May 1944, the house at 2649 Benvenue Ave. "caught fire during construction … and suffered $1,500 in damage," local historian Steve Finacom wrote in the East Bay Times in 2019. "Berkeley Fire Chief William Meinheit, who was at a lunchtime garden party nearby at the home of Judge Oliver Youngs, hastened over to supervise his department’s response."

At the time, the large brown-shingle house was "being converted from a convalescent home into war worker housing," Finacom wrote.

Over the years, the address has been linked to court filings related to a business dispute Havens litigated in relation to a telecommunications company.

At one point, one of the apartments was listed as the address for a religious nonprofit called Varnashram Community.

According to various real estate websites, including Redfin, the house last sold in 1986 for $243,000.

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<![CDATA[ Gunfire during catalytic converter theft in Berkeley ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/08/shootings/berkeley-gunfire-catalytic-converter-theft/ 65ea7b0849465d0001754439 Fri, 08 Mar 2024 04:30:54 -0800 Berkeley police were called to investigate gunfire Thursday morning during a catalytic converter theft on Ninth Street, authorities report.

The non-injury shooting happened at about 5:15 a.m. on Ninth Street south of Channing Way, Berkeley police said in response to a Scanner inquiry.

The incident was not reported until 6:45 a.m., police said. When officers arrived, they found evidence of gunfire at the scene.

They also determined that a catalytic converter had been stolen on the block at the time of the shooting.

No one has been arrested, but the investigation is ongoing, Berkeley police said.

Thursday's gunfire was Berkeley's third shooting of the week.

On Monday, police got reports of gunfire in the 1000 block of Channing Way (near San Pablo Avenue) at about 2 p.m.

Two or three vehicles may have been involved, but they left before officers arrived, BPD said. Police found no property damage or victims at the scene.

The next day, police investigated a road-rage shooting in broad daylight in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way in South Berkeley.

As of Thursday, Berkeley has had seven shootings in 2024 with two men wounded.

Last year, there had only been two shootings as of this time and no one was wounded until mid-March.

Berkeley shootings in 2024: The definitive gunfire map
As of March 7, Berkeley has had seven shootings in 2024 with two men wounded. Last year, no one was wounded until mid-March.
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<![CDATA[ Berkeley police arrest road rage shooting suspect ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/08/shootings/berkeley-police-arrest-road-rage-shooting-suspect/ 65ea87be49465d0001754489 Fri, 08 Mar 2024 04:25:19 -0800 Two days after a road rage shooting in South Berkeley, police have arrested a suspect in the case, booking records show.

Police arrested Devon Craft shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, about 48 hours after the non-injury shooting in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Limited information has been available. But Berkeley police said, earlier in the week, that an argument between two drivers led to the shooting Tuesday afternoon.

"One of the involved drivers shot at the other vehicle after the argument, causing a vehicle collision," Berkeley police told The Scanner.

Berkeley police investigate road rage gunfire on MLK
The shooter fled before police arrived and no one was hurt, BPD said.

On Thursday, BPD arrested Craft on suspicion of assault with a firearm on a person, shooting at an inhabited vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm and criminal threats, all four of which are listed as felonies.

Craft, who is 38, is scheduled for arraignment Monday, according to jail records. He is being held on $320,000 bail.

His city of residence was not immediately available but Craft has a number of criminal cases in Alameda County, court records show.

His most recent conviction was in 2017 when a robbery case sent him to prison.

Read more about shootings in Berkeley.

There were two other shootings in Berkeley this week.

On Monday, police got reports of gunfire in the 1000 block of Channing Way (near San Pablo Avenue) at about 2 p.m.

On Thursday, Berkeley police were called to investigate gunfire during a catalytic converter theft on Ninth Street.

As of Thursday, Berkeley had had seven shootings in 2024 with two men wounded.

Last year, there had only been two shootings as of this time and no one was wounded until mid-March.

This story will be updated if additional information becomes available.

Berkeley shootings in 2024: The definitive gunfire map
As of March 7, Berkeley has had seven shootings in 2024 with two men wounded. Last year, no one was wounded until mid-March.
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<![CDATA[ Man, 18, charged with making assault weapons in Berkeley ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/08/arrests/man-18-charged-making-assault-weapons-berkeley/ 65ea5be149465d000175439c Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:34:11 -0800 A teenager from Southern California who was living in a penthouse apartment in downtown Berkeley has been charged with possessing and manufacturing assault weapons there, court papers show.

Yicheng Shi, 18, of San Marino entered not-guilty pleas Thursday in connection with the seven felony charges filed against him this week by the Alameda County DA's office.

Berkeley police began looking into Shi in early January after getting a report from apartment management that they had seen a rifle in his eighth-floor apartment that was pointed down at the building courtyard, according to court papers.

Staff for the apartment building, which is located at Milvia Street and University Avenue, had seen the rifle after going into the apartment with permission to pick up a rent check, police wrote.

When building staff were inside the apartment, they spotted other firearms, too, and alerted the Berkeley Police Department, BPD wrote.

As officers worked on the case, BPD ultimately secured a gun violence restraining order, which allows police to seize weapons in certain circumstances.

BPD also spoke with Shi, who gave officers permission to go into the apartment to collect the weapons, according to court papers.

When they went into his unit, police found the rifle on a tripod, rifle parts nearby, a shotgun and other firearms in a bedroom and several boxes of ammunition, police wrote.

They also found a workbench area with various tools including drills, firearm parts and a pile of metal shavings, police wrote.

Shi agreed to participate in a FaceTime conversation with police while officers searched the apartment, BPD wrote.

During the call, he "demonstrated a significant knowledge in firearms and even pointed out how at least two of the firearms were not legal in California and explained specifically what would have made them legal," police wrote.

He also acknowledged that at least two of the weapons were unserialized "ghost" guns, according to BPD.

Yicheng Shi. BPD

BPD ultimately seized four illegal assault weapons, four illegal silencers, other gun parts, ammunition and tools for manufacturing firearms, police wrote.

Police also noted in court papers that Shi had said he was a student. BPD could not determine if that was the case but did not find any record of him attending UC Berkeley.

On Tuesday, Shi turned himself in to Berkeley police officers. He has since posted bail and was charged Wednesday with seven felonies, according to court papers.

He is scheduled to return to court April 9 for a pretrial hearing, according to court records online.

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<![CDATA[ Private security pilot funded by Cal parents starts tonight ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/07/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-private-security-pilot-safebears/ 65e91175fc423e0001c4cf3c Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:30:00 -0800 A group of Cal parents concerned about safety around the UC Berkeley campus has hired its own security ambassadors — and they start tonight.

The nearly three-week pilot program, which is set to run from March 6-23, will see six "safety ambassadors" working in the Southside neighborhood from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily.

The safety ambassadors will be easily identifiable by their bright-colored jackets that sport the words "security" and "SafeBears," which is the name of the parent group that raised about $40,000 late last year to launch the effort.

The ambassadors, who won't be armed, have gone through background checks as well as de-escalation and CPR training, SafeBears says.

SafeBears hired Streetplus, which also has ambassadors working in downtown Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco, to run the pilot program.

Sagar Jethani (left) with Streetplus safety ambassadors who will be part of the SafeBears private security pilot program. SafeBears

Sagar Jethani, SafeBears president, said he met with the safety ambassadors to observe their training this week.

"They are a great group of folks. They're all from the East Bay/SF area, so they understand what's happening with crime in Berkeley," he wrote in a Facebook post for other SafeBears members. "They are looking forward to meeting students and making them feel safe at night."

UC Berkeley parents formed SafeBears about a year ago, prompted by concerns about safety on and around campus.

UC Berkeley parents launch SafeBears to promote safer Cal
“We want the administration to engage with us as real stakeholders dedicated to making Cal safer,” said SafeBears president Sagar Jethani.

The group was also troubled by reduced staffing in the University of California Police Department and other safety services that were reduced during the pandemic.

"UC Berkeley has cut funding for UCPD every year since 2018," SafeBears wrote on its website last fall. "In that same period, nearly every other UC school has increased funding over 2018 levels."

Meanwhile, according to SafeBears, "Cal’s UCPD budget is 14% lower than it was in 2018."

Since last year, SafeBears says, UCPD has added 10 officers, but police staffing remains short, in line with regional and national trends.

Areas that will be covered by the SafeBears private security pilot. SafeBears

The new SafeBears safety ambassadors "will not enter university property," such as dorm courtyards and the Clark Kerr campus, but will instead "stick to public areas, including public streets and sidewalks."

"Their role is to provide a physical deterrence to any threats against students," SafeBears said. "If they encounter a situation they feel is escalating, they are equipped with radios and can call for other ambassadors to assist. They also have a contact at Berkeley Police Department in the event the situation turns more serious."

  • Three ambassadors will patrol Units 1, 2 and 3, as well as Blackwell Hall
  • Two ambassadors on bikes will cover "the matrix of streets" between Bancroft Way and Dwight Way (N-S), and College Avenue and Dana Street (E-W)
  • Another ambassador on a bike will cover the horseshoe perimeter around the Clark Kerr Campus, including Piedmont Avenue up to Bancroft Way

SafeBears said it shared its plans with UC Berkeley police to make sure Cal was in the loop. (UCPD did not respond to requests for comment for this story.)

Read more about crime near UC Berkeley.

In the coming weeks, SafeBears plans to work with ASUC student leaders to collect student feedback about the pilot program.

Jethani noted that UCPD has been planning to launch a similar security program for some time.

SafeBears hopes the March pilot will encourage UC Berkeley to bring that work forward faster, he said,

"We’ve been impressed with its recent moves," Jethani wrote on the SafeBears website, from closing People's Park to adding UCPD officers. "But the persistent shortage of security personnel creates a dangerous environment for all members of the Cal community."

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The Berkeley Scanner will continue to cover campus safety issues closely. If you're a member of the campus community with concerns, we want to hear from you.
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<![CDATA[ Berkeley police investigate road rage gunfire on MLK ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/05/shootings/berkeley-police-road-rage-shooting-mlk/ 65e7ac52fc423e0001c4ba9b Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:53:34 -0800 Police closed off a South Berkeley street for an hour on Tuesday to investigate a road rage shooting in broad daylight, authorities report.

No one was hurt, but a reader told The Scanner he "saw major police activity on MLK, which was blocked off for three blocks from Fairview north. Several cars, plus large police van, and an officer was crawling underneath a car."

BPD told The Scanner that there had been a non-injury shooting investigation in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way on Tuesday afternoon.

At about 1:45 p.m., Berkeley police got a report of a shooting at Fairview and Adeline streets. The shooter fled before police arrived.

When they got to the scene, officers determined that the shooting had actually taken place on MLK.

Police said the shooting "stemmed from a road rage incident after an argument between two drivers — one of the involved drivers shot at the other vehicle after the argument, causing a vehicle collision."

No one was hurt and no arrests have been made, police said.

BPD noted that the information was preliminary and may change "pending further investigation."

Berkeley police arrest road rage shooting suspect
Police arrested Devon Craft on suspicion of assault with a firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and more.

Earlier in the day, at about 2:10 p.m., Berkeley police put out a Nixle alert advising people to avoid the area due to unspecified police activity on Adeline between Fairview and Woolsey streets.

"Please avoid this area for the next unknown timeframe," BPD wrote. "Vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Adeline St. will be impacted."

About an hour later, at 3:15 p.m., they said the roadway was clear and that normal traffic had resumed.

There have been five other shootings in Berkeley this year, leaving two men wounded.

Last year, there had only been two shootings in Berkeley as of this time and no one was wounded until mid-March.

Berkeley shootings in 2024: The definitive gunfire map
As of March 5, Berkeley has had six shootings in 2024 with two men wounded. Last year, no one was wounded until mid-March.
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A reader asked us about this incident, which resulted in this report. Have questions about crime in Berkeley? Alert The Berkeley Scanner.
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<![CDATA[ Police investigate kidnapping attempt at Berkeley school ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/05/crime/berkeley-police-investigate-kidnapping-attempt-elementary-school/ 65e75613fc423e0001c4b969 Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:37:37 -0800 Berkeley police are investigating the attempted kidnapping of a student at Ruth Acty Elementary School on Monday afternoon.

Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel sent an email safety alert about the incident, in the area of Ada and Acton streets in North Berkeley, on Monday night.

"We have been made aware that the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) is investigating an attempted kidnapping incident involving an unknown suspect that approached a Ruth Acty Elementary School student after school today, March 4," Morthel wrote. "The student involved in this incident is safe and unharmed."

Morthel wrote that an individual in a white van or SUV "approached the student while they were walking on Rose Street and asked the student if they wanted to get into their vehicle."

The student ran home instead, Morthel wrote.

"We have shared this information with BUSD staff and asked them to be on alert and to call 911 if they witness any incident in which an unknown or suspicious vehicle appears to put a student at risk, especially as students come to and from school," she wrote.

BUSD did not provide any description of the driver and BPD also declined to share additional details, citing the active investigation.

Safety tips from BUSD

The following information was part of Monday's alert. It appears below in full.

The Berkeley Police Department advises that if a student believes someone may be following them, they should immediately start heading toward the nearest crowded place and call 911 for help.

Please review these other safety practices with your children. When walking to and from school:

  • Stay with a group whenever possible. Always walk with at least one friend, two or three is even better. 
  • If a stranger offers you a ride, say “NO!” and stay far away from their car.
  • If a stranger follows you on foot, get away from them as quickly as you can. You can run and yell loudly, “HELP!”
  • If a stranger follows you in a car, turn around and go in the other direction. 
  • Never leave school with a stranger. 
  • Tell a trusted adult if a stranger is hanging around the school, playground, or other public areas populated by young people, including restrooms.
  • Never accept things from a stranger when walking to or from school. 
  • If a stranger asks you a question, don’t talk to them. Run away. 

Here are some more general Tips for Walking Safely to School.

You can also sign up here to receive safety alerts from the Berkeley Police Department as they are posted.

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Readers asked about this incident, which resulted in this report. Have questions about crime in Berkeley? Alert The Berkeley Scanner.
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<![CDATA[ Price recall campaign turned in 123,000 signatures, group says ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/04/courts/pamela-price-recall-campaign-submits-signatures/ 65e6036cfc423e0001c49b4a Mon, 04 Mar 2024 12:50:25 -0800 The group seeking to recall DA Pamela Price submitted over 123,000 signatures to election officials Monday, "far surpassing" the number needed to get on the ballot, organizers said.

Save Alameda For Everyone, a broad coalition of families, crime victims, small business owners and residents, announced the news Monday morning on the steps of Oakland's main courthouse by Lake Merritt.

"We shouldn't have to do this," said Brenda Grisham, one of the leaders of the recall campaign. "But for the safety of our community, the safety of our children, the safety of our businesses, this is something that had to be done."

The campaign, which kicked off last August, had until Tuesday to turn in the signatures.

The Alameda County registrar of voters, who works out of the main courthouse basement, now has 10 days to validate the names.

The group needed about 73,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot. Validation is done through random sampling, the county said previously.

Recall campaign organizers said they expect to see a special election focused on the recall question in late April or early May.

DA Pamela Price hit with discrimination, retaliation claims
Patti Lee says Price often made anti-Asian remarks and that the DA’s office illegally withheld records about The Scanner’s exclusion from a press event.

Price supporters with the Protect the Win campaign say the special election could cost $15 million to $20 million.

Protect the Win has called the recall effort "undemocratic" and said it will "jeopardize the historic progress achieved in recent years."

On Monday morning, recall organizers said they ran a grassroots campaign aided by more than 4,000 volunteers.

"This is a right for the citizens of Alameda County," Grisham said Monday. "A recall is a right that they have."

Read more about Pamela Price on The Scanner.

Grisham, who is Black, also pointed to the diverse group of people standing with her on the courthouse steps and gave a nod to her fellow campaign leader, Carl Chan, who is Chinese.

"At the beginning of this, they said we couldn't work together. They said that's not going to work," she said. "Look at all the different nationalities that have come together to make this happen."

Chan said the campaign had been motivated by Price's soft-on-crime policies and her mismanagement of the DA's office.

"She's already destroyed the integrity of the legal system," he said. "We lost so many of those experienced and good prosecutors. And there are many, many cases that are not being fairly treated."

Alameda County DA’s office sees resignations over ethical qualms
Charly Weissenbach said she’s not comfortable in the spotlight — but felt it was her duty to speak out.

Dozens of prosecutors left in the months after Price was elected. Some published their resignation letters in protest over what they saw as her destruction of the office.

One person who left last year was Annie Esposito, who departed quietly in April 2023 despite having been promoted by Price as part of her leadership team.

Esposito's name has been floated as someone who may step up to try to replace Price if the recall effort is successful.

Esposito, former chief deputy assistant district attorney for Alameda County, attended Monday morning's press event.

She did not make public remarks, but the recall campaign did include a comment from her in a prepared statement Monday.

"Pamela Price has gutted the District Attorney’s Office of experienced, competent prosecutors," she said. "She has replaced dedicated prosecutors with years of experience with unqualified and often incompetent individuals who have never fought for victims or prosecuted a criminal case."

A growing number of victim families have spoken out against Price over the past year, saying they are unhappy with their case outcomes as well as their treatment by the DA's office since she took over.

Many families, including Patricia Harris and James Purvis — whose son Jarin was killed in 2020 attended Monday morning's press event.

"We came to get Pamela Price recalled because she's not fair to the victims," Harris said. "We're here to do everything we can to get her out of office."

Virginia Nishita, whose husband Kevin was killed while protecting a TV crew in 2021, has been a vocal recall proponent from the beginning.

"Today I'm standing here for Kevin Nishita and all the victims of Alameda County," she said Monday. "Kevin believed in justice and spent his career serving and protecting the people. Well, today, today, the people speak loud and clear and they want a district attorney, not a public defender."

Price supporters say she has been unfairly blamed for things beyond her control and that she should be allowed to carry out the will of the voters who elected her, particularly as Alameda County's first Black female district attorney.

Protect the Win did not respond to requests for comment from The Scanner. But, in a statement posted Sunday on X, the group strongly defended Price.

"DA Price is the first non-anointed and non-appointed District Attorney in 100 years," the campaign wrote. "Her election marks a departure from the old ways and symbolizes a century-long struggle for genuine electoral representation."

Questions linger over next steps in Pamela Price recall effort

On Tuesday, Alameda County voters are set to decide on a charter amendment that would replace local recall procedures with state law.

How or if that will affect the Price recall effort remains an open question because it's unclear who will determine whether the change, if approved, could or would be retroactive.

Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis has previously said he cannot comply with the existing 10-day timeline for validating signatures.

That's one reason the Board of Supervisors said it decided to put the charter amendment on the March 5 ballot.

The Scanner will continue to cover the story.

2024 Election Guide for Berkeley and Alameda County
From the March 5 primary to the November general election, here are many of the key races you’ll find on the ballot in 2024.
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<![CDATA[ DA Pamela Price hit with discrimination, retaliation claims ]]> https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/04/courts/pamela-price-racial-discrimination-whistleblower-retaliation-claims/ 65e51169fc423e0001c4876b Sun, 03 Mar 2024 20:00:02 -0800 A woman who was hired and later fired by DA Pamela Price says the Alameda County DA's Office violated the Public Records Act by deleting, changing and hiding public records, according to a leaked letter obtained by The Berkeley Scanner.

Patti Lee, a former journalist who was Price's spokeswoman for about six months last year, says she was fired for raising concerns about the alleged Public Records Act violations, according to the Feb. 26 letter to the DA's office from Lee's attorney, Los Angeles-based Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani, LLP.

Lee also says Price "constantly and openly" made derogatory comments against Asian Americans, at one point saying that "the media and the Asians" were her enemies, according to the letter.

An excerpt from Patti Lee's settlement demand letter, which was recently leaked to The Scanner (yellow highlights added).

The firm wrote that Lee was fired because of anti-Asian discrimination and because she complained about "the Alameda County District Attorney's Office's illegal withholding of records" in violation of the California Public Records Act (CPRA).

Lee, whose claims include retaliation, discrimination, wrongful termination and failure to pay wages, is now seeking a $1.5 million settlement, according to the letter.

"We are open to early private mediation in lieu of potentially costly litigation which will certainly be the topic and headline of news articles given the alarming allegations made against District Attorney Pamela Price," the firm wrote. "This case seriously implicates the integrity of the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and the public's confidence in ensuring that transparency in receiving public records."

A "cartoonish violation of the First Amendment"

The Alameda County DA's office headquarters at 7677 Oakport St. in Oakland. Emilie Raguso/TBS

According to Lee's letter, the records that were withheld last year related to an incident involving Berkeley Scanner founder Emilie Raguso.

In late November, DA Pamela Price refused to allow Raguso to attend one of her press conferences after the office repeatedly removed her from the press list without notice earlier in the year.

The DA's office initially claimed Raguso was turned away because of security issues but later attributed it to an "oversight."

Last fall, First Amendment lawyers said it appeared that Raguso had actually been barred because DA Price was unhappy with her coverage.

An excerpt from Patti Lee's settlement demand letter, which was recently leaked to The Scanner (yellow highlights added).

In the Feb. 26 letter, Lee's law firm described what happened at the press conference as a "content-based restriction of reporting" and a "cartoonish violation of the First Amendment" that prompted an outcry from Bay Area media outlets.

"Ms. Lee was aware of the preexisting animosity and knew that the reasons for refusing Ms. Raguso access to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office's press conference were pretextual," according to the letter.

Read more First Amendment coverage on TBS.

Raguso was refused entry to the Nov. 29 press event "at the specific behest of District Attorney Pamela Price," the firm wrote.

The next day, Raguso made a Public Records Act request for documents related to the DA's office media policies and press list. Requests from other reporters for similar records followed.

On Dec. 2, the firm wrote, DA Price "attempted to mitigate the poor media exposure" stemming from the First Amendment violation by reversing course and announcing that Raguso would be "welcome to attend" her press conferences.

In the days that followed, spokeswoman Patti Lee began working to collect records that would be responsive to the media requests she had received about the incident, according to her letter.

"It became evident that instead of producing responsive records to CPRA requests, the Alameda County District Attorney chose instead to hide, delete, and change the records," according to the letter. "Significantly, Ms. Lee was aware of responsive documents that existed and contradicted the narrative that the office wanted to portray."

According to the letter, Price's communications director, Haaziq Madyun, "was not being forthcoming with the documents that he knew were in the possession of the Alameda County Assistant District Attorney's office."

Lee advised a colleague who handles DA's office public records requests that "Madyun may have deleted or altered records" that should have been turned over, the firm wrote.

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"Misleading and untruthful" responses to records requests

At that point, according to the letter, Lee refused to sign off on any of the responses to the reporters' public records requests "because she believed them to be misleading and untruthful."

She "spoke up" and said that "she did not feel it was ethical to withhold public records and did not want to be personally responsible for doing so," according to the letter.

On Dec. 8, 2023, the firm wrote, she told a colleague that "Madyun was withholding records" that Adam Steinbaugh, of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), had asked for.

In his request, Steinbaugh had asked the DA's office for a number of documents, including "all records reflecting the inclusion or removal of Emilie Raguso and/or the Berkeley Scanner from any media distribution list."

Reached Sunday night shortly after publication, Steinbaugh said the allegations were alarming.

"The District Attorney’s office told me point-blank that it had no other responsive documents," he said. "This allegation raises serious concerns about the office’s compliance with the California Public Records Act."

Lee continued to voice her concerns to colleagues as time went on, according to her letter.

On Dec. 12, after a 9 a.m. meeting about CPRA responses, two other colleagues met her in her office and told her she had "8 minutes to clear out your office," the firm wrote.

"This was likely because District Attorney Pamela Price was going to be arriving to the office soon and wanted Ms. Lee to be removed before she arrived," according to the letter. Meanwhile, one of those colleagues "appeared to be crying and stated that she had, 'no idea that this would happen.'"

Lee's law firm called her termination a "textbook case of retaliation."

"Price fostered and encouraged a racist environment"

In the letter, the law firm said Lee — who is Asian American — also "experienced a clear anti-Asian sentiment during her employment" at the DA's office.

She "would frequently hear derogatory comments about her race made by supervisory employees, including by District Attorney Pamela Price herself," the firm wrote. "It was well-known within the Alameda County District Attorney's Office that Ms. Price had a racial animus toward people of East Asian Descent."

Once, after hearing DA Price describe "the media and the Asians" as her enemies, according to the letter, Lee texted another witness to those comments to "discuss her concern that Ms. Price would vocalize these racist statements so openly."

The other witness replied that "these racist comments were commonplace and were made frequently," according to Lee's letter.

Lee also heard DA Price make numerous remarks under her breath alleging that Lee was leaking information to the press as well as to the campaign seeking to recall her, according to the letter.

"Ms. Price fostered and encouraged a racist environment within the Alameda County District Attorney's Office," the firm wrote.

The letter also said that Price's alleged "discriminatory animus" toward Asian Americans had been "well-documented in the media."

Last May, one veteran Asian American prosecutor resigned from the Alameda County DA's office saying that Price had been "condescending and disrespectful to the AAPI community."

In her resignation letter, that prosecutor, Rebecca Warren, also cited racist comments toward Pacific Islanders that had been made by Price's chief assistant, Otis Bruce Jr., as well as community concerns about the handling of the Jasper Wu case.

In an early meeting with Jasper's family, for example, Price brought an interpreter who spoke the wrong Chinese dialect, which made for a trying situation amid an already fraught time, said one person who attended the meeting.

Many community members also voiced concerns last year about how the charges in the Jasper Wu case changed after Price's election.

Claims include whistleblower retaliation, discrimination

An excerpt from Patti Lee's settlement demand letter, which was recently leaked to The Scanner (yellow highlights added).

According to her letter, Lee's termination notice provided no reason for her separation other than to note that she had been an at-will employee.

Lee also alleged that she was never paid for her first three weeks of work, which were remote, the firm wrote.

The firm described Lee's job performance as "exemplary," noting that she had worked nights and weekends to prepare for press events, generated extensive "positive press" for Price, and taken the lead "in crisis response for the office from day one."

"The real reason for Ms. Lee's termination will be plainly evident and intuitive to any jury," the firm wrote, "who we are confident will find that Ms. Lee was terminated as a result of racial discrimination against her protected status as an Asian American and whistleblower retaliation."

In the letter, the firm said it could support all of its claims with "documentary evidence."

"Should this matter proceed to litigation, we will immediately be setting the deposition of District Attorney Pamela Price and her involved staff, and begin our investigation by contacting all of the various news reporters who made the CPRA requests that Ms. Lee was tasked with responding to," attorney Nicholas Roxborough wrote.

The firm asked for a response from the DA's office by March 11 at 5 p.m.

"If we do not receive a response by then, we will immediately proceed to litigation promptly and without hesitation," Roxborough wrote.

Former Price spokeswoman Patti Lee did not respond to email requests for comment over the weekend.

Reached by email Sunday, Roxborough said he would not be available to talk until later in the week.

The Alameda County DA's office and attorneys for Alameda County's County Counsel Department did not reply to a request for comment Sunday evening.

Source protection is of the utmost importance to The Scanner. If you have insights about the Alameda County DA's office, we want to hear from you. Contact The Scanner through our tips form or on Signal: 510-459-8325.
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