Berkeley police officers arrested a man out on bail, for three cases tied to drug sales and gun possession, after he fled during a search warrant attempt last week and was found with a gun stolen in a home burglary, suspected stolen computers, thousands of dollars in cash, several types of narcotics and two additional firearms, authorities report.
After serving a search warrant in a home of the man, identified as 35-year-old Anthony Beamon of Berkeley, police said they also found a ballistic vest labeled “Special Agent Department of Justice,” a scale and packaging materials, a Taser, more stolen computers and a stolen check for $25,000 that had been reported missing after an Oakland auto burglary in January.
At the time of his arrest, Beamon had been released on $770,000 bail in connection with three prior cases involving firearms and possession for sales of drugs, police said. Two of those cases involved possession for sale of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, and possession of firearms, and the other was a gun case from Contra Costa County. Beamon’s listed occupation is a security guard.
Last week Thursday, at about 7 p.m., Sgt. Dave Lindenau conducted a probation search and served a related search warrant for Beamon, his vehicles and a home in the 3800 block of Market Street in Oakland. When officers tried to stop Beamon after he walked outside, he dropped his backpack and fled south, throwing out an eighth of an ounce of methamphetamine as he ran, police said. Police quickly caught up with him and took him into custody after a short foot chase.
Lindenau said he found a stolen loaded pistol in the backpack, along with a GPS tracker Beamon had been issued by a bail bond agency. Police said they found another backpack in Beamon’s vehicle, which contained multiple Apple computers they believed were stolen. More stolen computers were in the vehicle itself, police said.
“Beamon had $3,690 cash in his pant pockets and 1.15 grams of methamphetamine, [and] 1.57 grams of powder cocaine” when he was arrested, according to court documents.
Police said “sizable quantities of methamphetamine, [and] heroin” were found during the search, and Beamon ultimately was arrested on suspicion of possession for sales of methamphetamine and heroin, both with weight enhancement clauses, enhancement for a loaded firearm with meth and heroin, being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, running a drug house, committing a felony while out on bail, possession of stolen property, resisting arrest and a misdemeanor court probation violation.
“The Berkeley Police Department is extremely proud of the ongoing efforts made by our Special Investigations Bureau and Investigations Division Detectives to keep guns and drugs off the streets,” police state in a statement about the operation this week.
Four other people were arrested during the search in connection with drug violations and warrants, according to court documents.
Beamon was charged by the Alameda County district attorney’s office with possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a loaded firearm, and possession for sale of a methamphetamine and heroin. He has four prior convictions — in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007 — related to gun possession and the sale of marijuana and cocaine. After the 2004 and 2007 cases, he was sent to prison.
Beamon was arrested and charged with 10 felonies in 2015 also related to gun possession and drug sales, according to prior Berkeleyside coverage.
In that case, according to court papers, a Berkeley police officer arrested Beamon in Oakland after serving a search warrant on him. Police said Beamon tried to flee when police arrived, and tried to ditch a loaded handgun he was carrying. Police searched Beamon, his vehicles and his bedroom, recovering a handgun, about 10 ounces of methamphetamine, 3 ounces of crack cocaine, 21 grams of heroin, 4.85 grams of powder cocaine and 4 ounces of marijuana, all of which were packaged for sale, according to police.
Police said they also found seven gun magazines, including two that were extended and held 31 rounds, ammunition, seven digital scales, three cellphones, packaging materials and more than $6,500 in cash. Police said text messages on cellphones belonging to Beamon “indicate he is selling drugs,” according to court documents. Beamon was out on bail in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in connection with narcotic-related offenses at the time of the 2015 search, police wrote.
Beamon is being held on $1 million bail and is set for a pretrial hearing Tuesday, March 28, at 9:15 a.m. at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland.
