BPD said the two broke a neighbor’s car window and threw objects at officers during the chase.
A man brandished a gun and may have fired it while trying to steal a catalytic converter, leading to a police chase in the Berkeley Hills Friday morning, authorities said.
BPD said that during the pursuit, the men threw objects at a Berkeley police officer and damaged his windshield. The officer was not injured.
The incident happened around 6:30 a.m. Friday when Berkeley police received a report of a stolen catalytic converter in the 1600 block of Euclid Avenue, a few blocks north of the UC Berkeley campus near Cedar Street.
A man broke his neighbor’s car window while trying to steal a catalytic converter Friday, July 19, 2024, in Berkeley. Photo by Ariel Nava
In addition to brandishing guns and possibly shooting when disturbed, the men smashed their neighbors’ car windows when they set off car alarms to force the men to leave, police said.
BPD said responding officers found the men fleeing the scene in a stolen vehicle. They began to pursue the car through the northeast hills of Berkeley.
Police said the men jumped out of the stolen car and abandoned it on Wildcat Canyon Road near Woodhaven Road before fleeing on foot into Tilden Regional Park.
During the search, Berkeley police deployed drones and K-9s from other law enforcement agencies, but they had not found the second man by press time.
“The investigation is ongoing,” BPD said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon. “There are no further details available at this time.”
Police pursuing an armed gang for stealing a catalytic converter in South Berkeley caught the gangster in North Oakland on Thursday.
Post time: Jul-23-2024