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Flash: Suspect Gone from Police Search Area on Oakland-Berkeley Border

By Bay City News
Friday February 15, 2013 - 07:49:00 PM

The Oakland police SWAT team searched an apartment on Shattuck Avenue this evening looking for a suspect in an earlier shooting but found the apartment empty and are dismantling their search perimeter, an Oakland police officer said. 

One person was detained earlier today in connection with this afternoon's shooting near the corner of Broadway and West MacArthur Boulevard, which left a man injured with non-life threatening gunshot wounds, Officer Johnna Watson said. 

The events began at 12:26 p.m. when at least two suspects drove to the victim on the street there and opened fire, fleeing in the same car, Watson said. 

The man managed to transport himself to a hospital while witnesses called police and reported descriptions of the vehicle and the suspects. 

Police tracked that vehicle to the 6400 block of Shattuck Avenue and quickly detained two potential suspects, a male and a female.  

Investigators determined the male suspect was connected to the shooting and he remains in custody, while the female has been released. 

Concluding that the second suspect was barricaded in an apartment on Shattuck Avenue, police established a wide perimeter around the home, shutting down streets between 63rd and 66th streets and from Racine to Dover streets. 

The standoff lasted for hours and finally the SWAT team entered the residence and after a thorough search determined that it was empty. 

Police believe that at least two suspects were involved in the shooting, possibly more, and are continuing to search for the second suspect. However, the search perimeter is being broken down and streets are reopening in North Oakland. 

Watson said that the witness assistance was crucial in making the arrests. "We're very thankful to the community for getting involved and providing witness information," she said.