A Berkeley teenager arrested in August after being found by police with a loaded gun has been charged in connection with a shooting on Carleton Street two days prior to his arrest, authorities said.
Emauj Roos, 18, has been charged by the Alameda County district attorney’s office with five felonies related to the handgun, Teresa Drenick, spokeswoman for the DA’s office, confirmed Tuesday.
According to court papers, Berkeley Police Officer Donovan Edwards responded Monday, Aug. 24, at 7:15 p.m. to Seventh Street and Channing Way in West Berkeley for a report of a suspicious vehicle. Inside the vehicle were Roos, in the backseat, and three juveniles. Roos just turned 18 in August.
Edwards wrote that the vehicle’s driver consented to a search of the silver sedan. During the search, one of the juveniles told Edwards he had a loaded gun in a black backpack.
A search of the backpack, wrote Edwards, turned up materials linked to Roos, including a citation from the Berkeley Police Department, an asthma inhaler and photographs.
Roos told Edwards, according to court papers, he had just sold the backpack to one of the juveniles for $500.
“Based on the fact Roos previously possessed the backpack, there were pictures of him with the backpack on, and his indicia was found in the backpack, I had reason to believe he possessed the backpack with a loaded firearm around minors,” Edwards wrote.
Police arrested Roos on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Edwards noted in court papers that Roos had prior arrests related to burglary and battery.
On Aug. 26, two days after his arrest, Berkeley detectives asked the DA’s office to charge Roos in connection with a shooting the prior weekend during a party in West Berkeley on Carleton Street.
According to court papers, Roos admitted to shooting a handgun into the air “because he was angry about getting ‘jumped’ at the party.”
As reported by Berkeleyside after the shooting, police had responded Saturday, Aug. 22, around 9 p.m. to the 1100 block of Carleton, near San Pablo Avenue, after receiving multiple calls about gunfire in the area. Police said there had been a party during which someone had fired five shots into the air. No one was injured in that incident, which was described as “a large fight” in court documents.
Police said in court papers that the casings found in the street by officers after the Saturday night shooting matched the brand and caliber of the ones found in the handgun confiscated during the vehicle search at Seventh and Channing two days later.
The weapon was not registered, police said.
Three of the felony counts Roos now faces relate to the Carleton shooting: discharge of a firearm with gross negligence; carrying a concealed firearm; and carrying a loaded firearm. The DA’s office also charged Roos with carrying a loaded firearm and carrying a concealed firearm in connection with the Aug. 24 vehicle search.
Roos remains in custody without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is scheduled for a sentencing hearing Oct. 2. Berkeleyside has requested additional information from the DA’s office.
Roos was a fullback on Berkeley High’s varsity football team according to the website hudl.com, which includes a highlight video of Roos and identifies him as a member of Berkeley High’s class of 2015.
Related:
Berkeley police arrest 3 teens with loaded gun (08.27.15)
Police make arrest after gunshots, disturbance on Carleton Street near San Pablo Avenue (08.22.15)
Police respond to shooting near San Pablo Park (08.15.15)
Uncovering scraper bikes in West Berkeley (09.10.10)
Do you rely on Berkeleyside for local news? Support independent journalism by becoming a Berkeleyside member for $10 a month or even less, or by making a one-time donation.