Berkeley Cops Seize 4 Guns In Separate Incidents

BERKELEY, CA — Authorities in Berkeley seized four guns in separate incidents over a four-day period, police said.

The incidents led to five arrests, the Berkeley Police Department said.

Three of the incidents involved unserialized firearms, also known as "ghost" guns.

On Friday , the first of two incidents on the same day occurred at around 12:20 p.m. at Dwight Way Shelter at 2140 Dwight Way.

A 59-year-old man was arrested after a contract worker at the shelter saw a gun in the man’s room, violating the shelter’s policy of not allowing weapons inside the facility, according to police.

After shelter staff put the facility on lock-down, officers safely contacted the man inside his room—where they discovered a loaded un-serialized handgun on a nightstand, police said.

The man was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a handgun and for being in possession of a firearm without identification marks, police said.

An incident later in the day led to the arrest of a 42-year-old Berkeley man on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, brandishing a weapon and other violations, police said.

At around 3:50 p.m., officers responded to the Black and White Liquor Store at 3027 Adeline St. after a man pulled a handgun and threatened staff member during an argument, police said.
Officers located the man few blocks away and detained him, police said.

The man did not have a handgun on him at the time of the arrest, but officers reviewed the store’s video surveillance footage that showed he had firearm when he was in the store and found the gun inside an oven during a search of his residence, police said.

On Sunday, a 28-year-old man with no address and a 23-year-old Pittsburg woman were arrested on suspicion of trespassing, possessing an assault weapon, and several other weapons violations, police said.

Officers at around 9:20 a.m. responded to the 1300 block of Rose Street after a resident discovered that a man and woman had broken into a garage, according to police.

The resident recognized the man from a previous news article about him from a few months ago, police said.

After confronting the pair, the man and woman left the garage and the resident called BPD.
Officers spotted the suspects in the area of University Avenue and Bonar Street and attempted to detain them, police said.

While the woman remained, the man ran away southbound on Bonar Street.

As officers chased after the man on foot they saw him remove a firearm from his waistband and discard it in some bushes.

After officers caught up with the man, they searched the area where he had discarded the firearm and found an un-serialized assault pistol with a high-capacity magazine.

On Monday, a catalytic converter theft probe led to the arrest of a 19-year-old Richmond man in Pinole on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy, and several weapons violations.

At around 11:55 p.m. officers responded to Pinole after being notified by city’s police that the driver of a vehicle associated with the thefts had been detained.

A search of the vehicle revealed an un-serialized short-barreled AR style rifle with a high-capacity magazine and a BB gun.