Oakland police officers arrested a man Sunday morning who had been sleeping in a vehicle stolen in an earlier carjacking, and who is believed to be connected to a series of robberies, police said.
Officers on patrol about 10 a.m. Sunday in the 1200 block of Kirkham Street in West Oakland connection saw a parked car that had been reported stolen in a carjacking. A man was asleep in the driver’s seat, police said.
Officers woke the man, using the patrol car PA system, airhorns and sirens. Officers told the man to raise his hands and open the car door, police said, but the man wouldn’t get out. Officers eventually broke a window glass to open the door, and police said the driver then “went limp” and tried to kick, bite and spit on the officers as he screamed, “I can’t breathe.”
The suspect, who wasn’t identified Sunday, was eventually put into a patrol car and taken to a hospital for observation, and later taken to jail.
Oakland police stressed that officers spent about 15 minutes trying to de-escalate the situation before the suspect was taken from the car. As this was going on, police said, a crowd of 20 to 25 hostile bystanders gathered, some of them filming the officers
Police supervisors reviewed the officers’ body-worn cameras soon afterward, the department said, and shows officers neither choked the suspect nor used excessive force in making the arrest.
In a statement Sunday, police said they shared details of the arrest “in an effort to be transparent and accountable to our community,” and to clarify what they insist is misinformation posted on personal social media platforms regarding this incident.
“We are aware of the scrutiny and concern regarding officers actions and want to ensure that we are responsive and transparent to our community’s concerns,” Sunday’s release said.
Police ask anyone with information about carjackings or robberies that could be connected to this arrest call the Oakland Police Department Robbery Section at (510) 238-3326.