Berkeley police shoot and kill 1 person, 2 arrested
BERKELEY, Calif. - Berkeley police fatally shot one person Monday morning and arrested two others as they were responding to a car burglary in progress, a department spokesperson said.
The unidentified person died after being taken from 7th and Grayson streets to Highland Hospital at around 5:30 a.m.
"I can say that officers on scene and the fire department did respond and they provided medical aid and they did what they could before the suspects were transported," said Public Information Officer Jessica Perry.
Perry said two other suspects were arrested at the scene and that no officers were injured in the incident.
In a statement late Monday night, Perry said Berkeley police officers encountered several suspects. "One of the suspects was detained by an officer, as two additional suspects were determined to be in a fleeing vehicle," Perry said.
Police said the suspect vehicle collided with a patrol car and drove towards the officer and the detained suspect. That's when the shooting occurred, according to police. The driver and passenger inside the vehicle were detained by officers. Police said medical aid was rendered, but the male driver of the suspect vehicle died after being transported to Highland Hospital.
Perry said she didn't know how many officers opened fire.
"That is still part of the investigation," she said at an earlier news conference. "As I said, our homicide bureau detectives have just arrived on scene."
Police said the two other suspects were placed under arrest. Both of the vehicles involved were determined to be stolen. A 37-year-old man from Novato was arrested for burglary. A 30-year-old Oakland woman was arrested for burglary, vehicle theft and being in possession of a stolen vehicle.
"I just woke up to what I thought were gunshots. It's definitely unsettling. You want to know, were the suspects armed? Was there a commotion? What exactly happened?" said a neighbor, Kim Lee.
There was a black SUV on the sidewalk at the scene surrounded by police cruisers that had suffered major damage and broken windows. It appeared the driver's side window had at least one gunshot hole and the black SUV had driven through bushes, ending up on the sidewalk.
Police did not confirm whether the black SUV was a stolen vehicle or whether there was a pursuit. When asked whether an officer was in danger or whether the suspect vehicle was trying to ram their car into a police officer, Perry said she could not provide that information.
A private school on the corner, Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley, was open for the day, but businesses on the block closed, telling employees not to come in due to the active police scene.
William Talamantes, who works on the block said, "I haven’t gotten much information about what happened. I hope for the person who has passed that their family will be given time to grieve."
This is the second fatal officer-involved shooting in Berkeley this year.
Officers shot and killed a man who entered the Toyota of Berkeley Service Center on Sept. 21 and killed a woman – his son's mother.
A neighbor who wants to remain anonymous told KTVU there was an unrelated Potter Creek Neighborhood Association meeting coincidentally scheduled for Monday night where police and city leaders would discuss auto burglaries in the area.
The investigation of this burglary and shooting is ongoing and led by Berkeley Police Department's Homicide Division. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office is concurrently investigating this case.
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