Berkeley police arrest alleged catalytic converter thief who shot at Good Samaritan
BERKELEY -- Aided by surveillance camera footage, Berkeley police have arrested an alleged catalytic converter thief who opened fire on a witness who interrupted the crime.
While not releasing the suspect's name, Berkeley police said they had a arrested a 28-year-old man in Oakland on Oct. 27 on suspicion of multiple offenses -- two counts of grand theft, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, along with several criminal enhancements.
The charges stem from an Oct. 6 case in the 500 block of Spruce Street in Berkeley, where two suspects stole a catalytic converter from a parked vehicle and another one about 10 minutes later from a vehicle parked in the 2300 block of Oak Street.
During the second theft, a witness interrupted the suspects and one of them fired a shot.
Investigators used video from nearby surveillance cameras to identify the vehicle used by the suspects and discovered it had been reported stolen.
On Oct. 27, detectives tracked the vehicle to a motel in Oakland and arrested the suspect.
After the arrest, police said found a loaded handgun with no serial number (also known as a ghost gun), methamphetamine and the keys to the stolen vehicle in the suspect's backpack.
In the motel room, policefound ammunition, vehicle jacks and a reciprocating saw.