An Oakland man has been charged with five felonies after a shooting attempt in broad daylight on a South Berkeley street last month, authorities report, after dash cam footage from a parked vehicle helped them crack the case.
Berkeley Police detectives arrested Ronnie Leggett, 39, early on the morning of Oct. 5 during the service of several search warrants at locations linked to him in both Oakland and another county, according to court papers.
Leggett is being held at Santa Rita Jail on $600,000 bail.
According to court papers, police believe Leggett is one of two people who got into an argument at about 9 a.m. Sept. 14 in the 2900 block of Sacramento Street, near Ashby Avenue.
During the argument, two shots were fired. Police say Leggett tried but failed to shoot the other person involved in the dispute, according to court documents. No injuries were reported.
Read more about shootings in Berkeley.
Leggett fled the scene, police said, in a green van that was caught on the dash cam of a vehicle parked on Sacramento Street at the time of the shooting. Police were able to use that video to get the van’s license plate, which they ultimately linked to Leggett.
Berkeley police briefly closed off Stanton Street that day, near the scene of the shooting, to make sure no one had been injured by gunfire.
On Oct. 5, officers served search warrants at an Oakland address in the 1700 block of 69th Avenue, and at least one other residence in another county.
At the Oakland home, according to court papers, Berkeley Police detectives recovered suspected crack cocaine packaged for sale as well as a loaded handgun with a high-capacity magazine.
Police said they also found a stolen handgun during another warrant search that day at an address tied to Leggett outside the county.
Two days later, according to court papers, the Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Leggett with five felonies: assault with a firearm, which is classified as a violent felony that could send him to prison; possession of a controlled substance while also having a loaded Smith & Wesson; possession for sale of cocaine base, which is also known as crack cocaine; possession of a firearm by a felon; and having been found with a large-capacity magazine.
Leggett has three prior convictions going back to 1997: robbery, possession of ammunition and possession of a controlled substance. The most recent conviction was in 2009.
His next court date was not listed in Alameda County sheriff’s office records online.
A conviction on the new case could count as a second strike against Leggett, according to charging papers.
Also according to court documents, Leggett was out on bail at the time of the shooting attempt in Berkeley, though no information was immediately available about that prior case.
His bail status results in a special charging allegation that could increase the penalties Leggett may face if convicted in the Berkeley shooting.
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