Features

Russell Street shooter turns himself in 

Gabriel Alejo of Berkeley, who was charged with shooting a man on July 20, turned himself in to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputies at the Santa Rita County Jail at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said. 

Alejo, 18, was booked for four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and is being held on $100,000 bail. He will be arraigned at 2 p.m. Friday at the Wiley Manual Courthouse in Oakland. 

Berkeley police responded to a call reporting gunfire in the 1500 block of Russell Street shortly after 1 a.m Sunday. One man was shot in the arm and three women were hit by shrapnel in the shooting.  

All three victims were taken to the Alameda County hospital. Their status remains undisclosed, but Officer Andrew Frankel, the Berkeley Police Department’s public information officer, confirmed that none of the injuries was life-threatening. 

After witnesses helped identify the suspect, Berkeley police searched Alejo’s residence on 6th Street in West Berkeley later Sunday morning and a warrant was issued for his arrest. 

Police investigate third in series of sexual assaults 

Police are investigating the third in a string of apparently related sexual assaults in Berkeley. 

The most recent attack occurred Monday just before 4 a.m. in the 1600 block of Hearst Avenue. The suspect, described as black male adult with a thin, muscular build, entered the victim’s residence and attempted to sexually assault her. The victim awoke, screamed and the suspect fled. 

The earlier assaults occurred on June 17 in the 2300 block of Derby Street and on July 8 in the 1200 block of Milvia Street. In each case, the victims have described the attacker as a black male in his late teens to early 20s, height between five-and-a-half and six-feet, and carrying a weapon. 

“Because these type of assaults are so infrequent in our city, the fact that these are all happening so close together timeline-wise gives us reason for concern,” said Frankel. 

Berkeley police urge citizens to lock their doors and windows, particularly at night, and to exercise caution when traveling alone. 

Reward offered for information about South Berkeley homicide 

The City of Berkeley is offering $15,000 and Bay Area Crime Stoppers is offering $2,000 in reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect responsible for the June 19 shooting of a South Berkeley man. 

Charles Faison, 39, was found dead in his residence on the 2000 block of Emerson Street after firefighters responded to a 911 call requesting an ambulance for an unresponsive man. The day of the shooting, a neighbor told The Planet that Faison suffered at least one gunshot wound to the head. 

Detectives canvassed the neighborhood, interviewed Faison’s family and searched the victim’s home for any available evidence. They are now urging community members who have information about the crime to call the BPD Homicide Detail at 981-5741 or Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Callers who wish to remain anonymous should call the Crime Stoppers number. 

Man who fell multiple stories recovering 

A man who fell multiple stories from a window in a Berkeley apartment building on Saturday is recovering at the home of a friend. 

Police responded to a report of a man down in the 2400 block of Channing Way just before 4 a.m. when witnesses reported seeing and hearing the fall. The police found no sign of foul play and consider the fall an accident. 

The 20-year-old man, who is neither a UC Berkeley student nor a Berkeley resident, suffered multiple injuries and was taken to the Alameda County Hospital, where he is still receiving treatment. The police would not disclose the man’s identity or the nature of his injuries.