Oakland CHP Arrest Man Standing On Van Waving BB Gun On I-880

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- CHP officers in Oakland have taken a man into custody who was standing on top of his van at the side of northbound I-880 waving what appeared to be a firearm late Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

CHP were forced to shut down a stretch of the freeway briefly after responding to numerous reports of the man standing on top of a white van waving a handgun near the 66th Avenue on-ramp of I-880 in Oakland at around 9:45 a.m.

Authorities said the call reported the man as being black or Hispanic

"When officers showed up on scene, they held him at gunpoint and gave him directions. Luckily, he followed the officers commands and was compliant," said a CHP Officer Herman Baza.

CHP were able to take the man into custody without incident, though the action forced officers to close lanes on the freeway. CHP later determined that the firearm the man had been waving was a realistic looking BB gun.

"The gun looked just like a regular firearm. Any average person would believe that he was waving a firearm at people," said Baza.

The man has been taken to an area hospital for a psych evaluation and will be held for 72 hours.

Traffic was slowed as authorities loaded the suspect's van onto a flatbed tow truck and removed it from the shoulder of the freeway.

So far there have been no details released on the identity of the suspect. There was no use of force.

Commuters should anticipate delays traveling on I-880 through Oakland near 66th.

In:
• Gun
• I-880
• CHP
• Oakland