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Flash: Police Search for Armed Suspect in South Berkeley

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday June 02, 2009 - 01:39:00 PM
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The Berkeley Police Department SWAT team searches for an armed suspect near the corner of Shattuck and Ashby avenues.
Mikell Haynes
The Berkeley Police Department SWAT team searches for an armed suspect near the corner of Shattuck and Ashby avenues.
Police cordoned off two blocks of Shattuck Avenue between Ashby Avenue and Russell Street while searching for a man suspected of firing at an officer.
Riya Bhattacharjee
Police cordoned off two blocks of Shattuck Avenue between Ashby Avenue and Russell Street while searching for a man suspected of firing at an officer.
Police gathered at the corner of Ashby and Shattuck avenues in South Berkeley.
Mikell Haynes
Police gathered at the corner of Ashby and Shattuck avenues in South Berkeley.

Berkeley police cordoned off two blocks near Shattuck and Ashby avenues at 3:30 p.m. to search for a suspect who fired shots earlier today in West Berkeley. 

Berkeley police officers saw the man fire shots from his car. They chased him to Ashby and Shattuck, at which point, eyewitnesses said, the man crashed his car into another car, fired a shot at an officer and then fled on foot. 

Police are searching the area with the help of dogs and a SWAT team. Shattuck Avenue between Ashby and Russell is closed to traffic, as is part of Ashby east of Shattuck. 

Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said the suspect could still be armed. Police are advising residents to stay inside their homes and notify the police if they see anyone resembling the man police are searching for. The suspect was described as a young black man in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, wearing black pants and a white T-shirt with some gold on it.