Armed Suspect Asleep In Vehicle Arrested After Standoff In City Of Berkeley

Press release from City of Berkeley:

July 15, 2021

Berkeley, California - On July 15th at 1:47 pm, officers responded to the 1400 block of Prince Street on a report of a man passed-out inside a vehicle who was possibly intoxicated. Before arriving to the location, another caller reported that the same man was passed-out inside the vehicle and also had two firearms inside.

When officers arrived, they spoke with the two people who called and they confirmed that they saw two firearms in the vehicle within the man’s reach.

Recognizing the danger of contacting an armed person who may be disoriented when suddenly awakened, officers formed a safety perimeter around the vehicle and maintained their distance. To ensure the man did not suddenly drive away, officers placed “stop sticks” near the vehicle’s tires. On-duty members of the Department’s Special Response brought the armored vehicle to the scene to use as cover while trained negotiators tried to contact the man with a loudspeaker.

Despite repeated calls with our loudspeaker in English and Spanish, the man would not wake. Looking for more tools to provide time and distance, we realized that we needed additional resources and requested authorization for the use of an apprehension K-9, aerial support and an additional armored vehicle—all with the goal of increasing our ability to contact the man from a safe distance and avoid a confrontation. While the neighboring agencies staged nearby with their equipment, we continued trying to communicate with the man.

Just as the other agencies were arriving, the man in the vehicle responded and began to communicate with our negotiators. At 4:30 pm, the man stepped out of the vehicle and was safely taken into custody.

This press release was produced by City of Berkeley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.