Police officers arrested a man found in a stolen truck at the Berkeley marina who authorities say tried to kill his 86-year-old mother in Stockton earlier this month in a brutal assault.
Police have been looking for the man since the March 14 attack, which left the woman unresponsive. Doctors said initially she was not expected to survive, according to media reports.
According to a statement released Thursday by Officer Joseph Silva, spokesman for the Stockton Police Department, Berkeley officers found Randy Francis in a stolen 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup Thursday morning. Police said he stole that truck when he fled the scene of the Stockton attack.
Thursday morning, Berkeley officers impounded the truck and took 55-year-old Francis into custody without incident.
According to Silva, Francis had been wanted by police in connection with the March 14 attempted homicide of his mother, which occurred at her home in the 7300 block of North Pacific Avenue in Stockton.
Francis is being transported back to Stockton to be interviewed by detectives.
Silva said Francis’ mother remains at an area hospital in critical condition. The Stockton Record reported previously that the woman was unresponsive when officers found her, and that doctors did not expect her to survive.
Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats confirmed by email that police found the vehicle, but said she could release no other details because it is a Stockton case.
“We are assisting them as needed,” she said by email.
According to unconfirmed scanner traffic, police located the vehicle around 8 a.m.
The Berkeley Police Department sent out a brief Nixle alert just after 9:30 a.m. about the discovery: “The Berkeley Police Department is investigating a suspicious vehicle in the Berkeley Marina. The vehicle is located in the M lot. Currently, parking and pedestrian traffic into the M lot is partially restricted. There are no other traffic or vessel restrictions at this time. We will provide updates as they become available. ”
Berkeley police have not released a follow-up notice, but officers had cleared the area by about 1 p.m., according to one local resident.
According to news reports earlier this month, police launched a “manhunt” to find Francis, who Silva described to the Stockton Record as “extremely violent and … armed and dangerous. We need to get him off the streets before he hurts someone else.”
Francis is currently being held without bail at Berkeley Jail on suspicion of attempted homicide.
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