Witnesses report person shot at people in second vehicle
A drive-by shooting on Grand Avenue involving people in two vehicles was reported to police by a witness on Sept. 29. The Exedra learned that around 12:45 p.m. a person in a car on Grand Avenue shot four or five times at someone in another car in front of The Star pizzeria. The vehicle then sped away.
Piedmont Police Capt. Chris Monahan said the Oakland Police Department was handling the case. An email to the Oakland Police spokesperson was not returned by deadline.
The two vehicles were described by a witness to the Exedra as a Lexus and an Infiniti. That witness said the cars fled over the Oakland Avenue bridge in Piedmont.
A man is believed to be involved in multiple reported burglaries on Sept. 22. The suspect in the incidents is described as a white, bald male in his 40s.
The first report came in from Wildwood Avenue at 3 p.m. The reported loss at that residence was prescription drugs and cash. Two other reports came in from Oakmont Avenue at 7:07 p.m. and at 5:22 a.m. the next morning. The former reported that a white male, 45, bald and heavyset in a shirt and shorts walked into the resident’s backyard. No loss was reported.
The other incident on Oakmont happened around midnight and the resident reported seeing a white male, bald, age 40 to 50 on their security camera inside the home. A BMW was taken from that residence.
According to Monahan, the suspect is known to the Piedmont Police and a warrant is being prepared.
On Sept. 22, a silver Infiniti Q50 was reported stolen on Mesa Avenue. The vehicle was taken between 8 a.m. and 11:30 p.m., according to the log.
A resident on York Drive reported an attempted robbery on Sept. 26. The report came in at 9:19 p.m. The resident said while exiting his own vehicle, a passenger in a dark sedan ran up to him and said, “Hey kid,” according to Monahan. The resident feared he was being targeted for a robbery and ran inside and called 911. No threats of violence were heard and no weapons were seen. Monahan said that a hit on the city’s Automatic License Plate Reader system nearby on a stolen black Hyundai Elantra 4D makes it “probable that the Hyundai is associated with this incident.”
An area check was conducted by police after the report but the Hyundai was gone, according to Monahan.
On Sept. 26, a call came in for a suspicious vehicle driving slowly in the area of St. James Drive and La Salle Avenue. The call came in at 10:56 p.m.
Officers responded and found a black Chevrolet Silverado with a “loud exhaust” driving on St. James, according to Monahan. The vehicle was stopped and officers observed the lower steering column was broken and the driver used his fingers to turn off the ignition.
According to Monahan, the driver was identified as Martin Hernandez and was found to have two bench warrants for possession of a stolen vehicle. The registered owner of the truck was contacted and the Silverado was determined to be an unreported stolen vehicle.
A search found a white powder that Monahan said was tested and found to be MDMA (a type of phenethylamine). Hernandez was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin for possession of a stolen vehicle and his warrants.