Authorities have arrested a 44-year-old transient man from San Jose in connection with a double shooting near the Ashby BART station in March that left a man and woman with serious injuries.
A deputy with the Sacramento County sheriff’s office arrested Anthony Burton on Tuesday at 3:30 a.m. after finding him asleep in his car, which had set off an alert from the officer’s automated license plate reader.
The officer saw that Burton was wanted in connection with an attempted homicide case from Berkeley, and took him into custody on the warrant. The vehicle, a 2008 Mazda 5, had been parked outside a Denny’s in Sacramento at 5120 Interstate Ave.
Sgt. Andrew Frankel of the Berkeley Police Department said Berkeley detectives later picked up Burton from the Sacramento County sheriff’s office. He was arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted homicide. Frankel said he couldn’t share any details about the possible motive in the case, but confirmed the shooting was not random.
Police responded to South Berkeley, near Tremont and Prince streets, on March 16 for a report of a shooting with a male victim in the area shortly after 1 a.m. At 1:20 a.m., Berkeley police were called to a local hospital for a report of a female victim who had been dropped off there with gunshot wounds.
Originally the call came in at 1:05 a.m. with callers reporting 4-5 gunshots heard near the 2000 block of Prince. One caller told police a possible victim was in a doorway on a porch in the 2000 block of Prince. He appeared to be a man in his 20s.
Both victims were in critical condition after the shooting but expected to survive. Frankel said Wednesday the woman’s injuries left her with permanent disabilities and the man’s have likely left him with longterm medical complications.
There have been at least four shootings with victims in Berkeley in 2016, and several others that involved either property damage or reports of gunfire.
On Jan. 9, a man was shot in the leg at about 11:30 a.m. at Stuart and California. Police announced no arrests. The next day, police responded to reports of gunfire shortly before 5 p.m. on Russell Street between Sacramento and McGee; three teens were arrested.
On Feb. 12, a man was arrested after reports of gunfire shortly before midnight in the 1400 block of San Pablo. No one was injured, but there was property damage.
On Feb. 16, three teenagers were shot while they sat in a vehicle in the 1100 block of Parker Street; all three were expected to survive. No arrests have been reported.
On March 6, someone shot up two homes in South Berkeley, but there were no victims or arrests.
Police arrested Ali Griffin after a March 15 shooting on Delaware Street that injured one man who was expected to survive.
Police are also looking for a man they say shot at, but did not hit, a homeless man April 14.
Berkeleyside has asked for confirmation about the list of 2016 shooting incidents and will update this post if it is provided.
Burton is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland. He is being held without bail.
Related:
Berkeley police seek help identifying shooting suspect (04.19.16)
After latest shooting, neighbors talk public safety (04.05.16)
Man charged in Berkeley shooting faces 3rd strike (03.24.16)
Man, 40, turns himself in after Berkeley shooting (03.16.16)
Man and woman in critical condition after shooting (03.16.16)
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[Editor’s Note: Burton is actually from San Jose. This story was updated after publication to reflect the correction.]
