14 Year Prison Sentence For Berkeley Assault

BERKELEY, CA —A man with four prior felony convictions was sentenced today to 14 years in state prison for assaulting his ex-girlfriend's sister during an argument at an apartment in Berkeley in 2016.

Alameda County prosecutors said that on the morning of Dec. 22, 2016, Aaron Tingle, 34, and his girlfriend were asleep in the apartment when the victim, who lived there with her sister, stopped by to pick up the last
of her belongings.

They said the apartment building had recently changed ownership and all the tenants were being evicted and the victim was in the process of moving into a new apartment.

Prosecutors said Tingle opened the front door and let the victim into the apartment but a short time later he and the victim got into an argument he began punching the woman.

Prosecutors said the victim, who is 5-foot-4 and weighs 145 pounds, tried to fight back but was easily overpowered by Tingle, who is 6-foot-6 and weighs 340 pounds.

After Tingle repeatedly punched the woman, he grabbed a fire extinguisher and hit her in the head with it two or three times, according to prosecutors.

A concerned citizen heard the victim yelling for help and informed a nearby Berkeley police officer and a neighbor also called 911 and numerous officers arrived within minutes, prosecutors said.

The woman was taken to a hospital and needed 11 stitches for her wounds, according to prosecutors.

Tingle was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon last August and was sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner today.

Prosecutors say Tingle has prior convictions between 2002 and 2011 for assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree robbery of a transit operator, selling drugs and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Tingle also was charged with murder for allegedly using a crowbar to kill 51-year-old Anthony Kalaote at his apartment in the 1600 block of 82nd Avenue in East Oakland on April 2, 2015.

The murder charge was later dismissed but authorities said today that Oakland police are still investigating the case to see if they can develop enough evidence to have Tingle charged in connection with that crime
again in the near future.

Oakland police said in 2015 that officers who responded to a report of a trauma victim found Kalaote at his apartment at about 11 a.m. on April 2, 2015. Police said Kalaote was unconscious and wasn't breathing and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sgt. Eric Milina wrote in a probable cause statement that a witness told police that Tingle struck Kalaote in the head with a crowbar. Tingle, who lived in the 9700 block of MacArthur Boulevard, about a mile away from Kalaote's apartment, was arrested at the scene, according to Milina.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock