Driver in custody after apparent East Bay rampage, police chase

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - A Berkeley man is behind bars facing dozens of felony charges after police say he went on a bizarre and dangerous driving rampage in the East Bay.

Police took the 55-year-old man into custody just outside Ohlone Park at McGee and Virginia in Berkeley.

"He wasn't listening to them, he just kept walking. So we were kind of concerned you know, maybe it was going to turn into a fire fight. So, we came out and started looking at what was going on. And eventually, they ran him down, they ran him down right over here, and they captured him safely," said nearby resident Hunter Cates.

It was the end of a long and dangerous driving rampage and police chase that left dozens of drivers shaken in damaged cars.

"He would look at the driver and intentionally drive his vehicle into that person's car. Additionally he would point a firearm at them," explained Oakland Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson.

It started in East Oakland around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and wound its way through West Oakland before ending in Berkeley.

The man abandoned his black Mitsubishi near the North Berkeley BART station before walking up to Ohlone Park, where he was arrested.

"I saw the gentleman walking out of the park that's right here, half a block down. And then a lot of police cars, motorcycle cops and helicopters," said witness Harvey Smith.

Police say when they surrounded the man, he would not obey their commands to give up.

"The only force that was used was less lethal, a bean bag round, and which gained his cooperation," explained Officer Watson.

Dozens of vehicles were damaged in Berkeley and Oakland.

"Just a rough estimate, we have several dozen vehicles that have been damaged in Oakland, we know of least three possibly four Oakland Police cars and there may be two or more now, Berkeley Police cars," said Watson.

One driver was hurt along the way, a pregnant woman who was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. And police think there may be more victims. "If you were a victim of one of these crimes, we want to hear from you."

KTVU went to the man's apartment building on Russell Street in Berkeley, but no one would answer his door or the doors of his neighbors.

Police are still trying to find the man's gun, which they believe he tossed somewhere between the North Berkeley BART station and Ohlone Park, which are about a half mile apart.