Features

Berkeley Man Fatally Shot in Oakland 

Byron Pearson, a 32-year-old Berkeley resident, died at Highland Hospital at 4:30 Wednesday morning, two hours after he was cut down by a shotgun blast in the 9000 block of Sunnyside Avenue in East Oakland. 

The Alameda County Coroner’s office said Pearson was fatally wounded when an unidentified gunman blasted him with a shotgun, resulting in wounds to his head, neck, torso and arms. 

Because the shooter used birdshot, the small size of the pellets made it difficult to determine if more than one round was fired, said a coroner’s representative. 

Oakland Police have no suspects or motive in the attack.  

Richmond Murder Suspect Nabbed in Utah 

Just four days short of a year after 25-year-old Salvador Espinoza was beaten to death in Richmond, the seventh and final suspect in the murder was arrested in Utah. 

Richmond Police, assisted by the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force, arrested Neal Tagilima Fiu in a home in Utah, where he is currently awaiting extradition. 

Police said Espinoza was murdered last July 25 by members of The Sons of Death, a local street gang. 

Garbage-Burner Busted for Arson 

Police arrived at the scene of an early evening July 15 fire in the back yard of a home at California Street and Dwight Way to find six-foot flames leaping out of a trash can. After a quick search, they arrested a 46-year-old man for arson. 

Two Shots Hit South Berkeley Man  

Multiple callers told police of a volley of gunshots in the vicinity of Alcatraz Avenue and California Street shortly before midnight on the 15th. 

On arrival, police found a shooting victim near Alcatraz and King Street. He had been struck once each in the hand and leg, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Officers are seeking a lone gunman, described as an African American male in his 30’s standing about 5’6”, weighing 160 to 170 pounds and with a medium build and short hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. 

Pair Robs, Pistol-Whips Victim 

Two armed men pistol-whipped and robbed a man near the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Russell Street about 4:30 a.m. on the 16th, said Officer Okies. 

The victim said both suspects were Euro American males in their late 40’s, with one of the pair described as slightly built and standing about 5’8”. Both wore caps and dark clothing. 

Knife-Toting Robber Gets Cash 

Armed with a knife, an overtly unfriendly felon confronted a passerby near the corner of University Avenue and Seventh Street early on the afternoon of the July 16. 

The hapless victim wisely complied and the bandit departed. 

Another Knife Heist 

Three teenagers, one flashing a very large knife, braced a woman near the corner of Parker Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

As the trio demanded, she offered up her purse and the youthful felons fled. 

Strongarm Trio Grabs Wallet, Cell 

Three suspects overpowered a pedestrian minutes into Friday morning last week near the corner of Bowditch Street and Dwight Way, making off with a wallet and a cell phone. 

Masked Gunman Grabs Cash 

Clad all in black right up to his ski mask, a six-foot-tall gunman braced a pedestrian near the corner of Spruce and Arch Streets at 10:22 a.m. last Friday. The victim handed over his cash. 

Kitchen Knife Heisters Sought  

Berkeley Police are seeking two men, one of them armed with a kitchen knife, who approached a woman on Milvia Street near the corner of Virginia Street and demanded her purse about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. After she complied, the duo departed. 

Family Feud Takes Serious Turn 

Police were summoned to an address on King Street early Sunday evening after a family dispute turned nasty and one fellow grabbed a bat and hit another three times. A 43-year-old Berkeley man was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. 

Knife Flashers Grab Purse 

Two young men, at least one of them armed with a knife, approached a women on Haste Street near its intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. Way. They left after she handed over her purse. 

Robbers Slug Victim, Get Wallet 

Four men in their mid-20s braced a man on Page Street near San Pablo Avenue at 2:42 a.m. Saturday and beat him into surrendering his wallet, police said. 

Confiscated X-Box Drives Son Ballistic  

When a Berkeley mom decided her son was spending too much time playing video games on a school night late Monday, she confiscated his X-Box controller, sending the boy into a flight of rage. 

The terrified mom called police, who arrested the boy on an assault charge, said Officer Okies. 

Gunman Demands, Gets Cash 

A brazen gunman, clad all in black, confronted a pedestrian on Shattuck Avenue near Cedar Street about 2:30 Monday afternoon and demanded cash. The victim complied. 

Tire Iron Victim Won’t Talk 

Berkeley Police responding to the report of an assault near the corner of Dana Street and Dwight Way at 11 p.m. Monday arrived to find a victim who was unwilling to discuss anything about the other fellow who had laid into him with a tire iron. 

Gunman Robs Food Store 

A gunman robbed the till of the Roxie Food Center at Dwight Way and Fulton Street Monday about 10 p.m. Monday, police said. No arrests have been made. 

Knife-Wielding Pair Grabs Wallets 

A pair of bandits armed with at least one knife robbed several men of their wallets late Wednesday near the corner of Bonita Street and Dwight Way. 

Bike Lock Bandit 

A 47-year-old Berkeley man was arrested on armed robbery charges after a victim told police he’d been robbed by a man swinging a bicycle lock near the corner of Dwight Way and Bowditch Street at 2:31 a.m. Thursday. ›