A 21-year-old Oakland man has been arrested after a violent confrontation in a North Berkeley home early Monday morning, police report.
A pair of intruders with a knife and gun struggled with two men in the home, cutting a 77-year-old resident, then took off with their property and vehicle, said Sgt. Andrew Frankel, Berkeley police spokesman. The other intruder is still at large.
Frankel said the suspects entered a home in the 1700 block of Virginia Street at 1:15 a.m. Monday. One carried a knife and the other had a handgun. A 47-year-old caregiver to the older resident initially confronted the intruders.
“A struggle ensued between one of the victims and the suspects. The second victim attempted to intervene, until he was confronted by the suspect who was armed with a knife. During a brief altercation the second victim sustained non-life-threatening cuts to his arms,” Frankel said.
The robbers took property from the victims, then fled in their SUV. Police responded but the pair was already gone. So authorities then filed an alert in a law enforcement database that’s used to find stolen vehicles.
Tuesday, an Oakland police officer spotted the vehicle in the 2500 block of 35th Avenue, Frankel said. The driver was identified as 21-year-old Carl Curry of Oakland. Frankel said OPD recovered evidence during a search of the vehicle “indicating Curry’s involvement with the home invasion robbery.” He thanked OPD for its assistance with the arrest.
Curry was taken to Santa Rita Jail and remains in custody with a bail of $150,000. He was arrested on suspicion of home invasion robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking, vehicle theft, elder abuse likely to cause great bodily harm or death, committing a felony while armed with a firearm, and an enhancement due to the victim’s age.
Frankel described home invasion robberies as uncommon in Berkeley. He said police are optimistic that a second arrest will be forthcoming, and that neighbors need not be afraid: “We’re working swiftly to try and see the second party brought to justice,” he said.
