Berkeley police arrested two men in connection with a gang-related shooting on Milvia Street in July that sent two teenagers to the hospital, according to court papers.
The men — Sirron Croskey, 19, and 20-year-old Andre Ryan — were arrested in October on warrants for the July 28 shooting. Police said in court papers that the men had been pulled over by another law enforcement agency several days after the shooting. The gun used July 28 was found in their vehicle, which matched the description of the getaway car, authorities said.
On July 28, police had responded to the 2800 block of Milvia Street, near Stuart Street, just before 9 p.m. following reports of gunfire. Officers found casings in the street but no victims. A 19-year-old from Berkeley and an 18-year-old from Oakland — struck numerous times and left with wounds described as life-threatening — left the scene before police arrived. Witnesses told police the gunfire had come from a gray, newer-model Honda Accord, and surveillance video showed a similar vehicle fleeing the scene.
Police said the victims are known to associate with South Berkeley gangs, while the alleged shooters are members of the Waterfront “Babas” gang in West Berkeley. The two groups have been engaged in a feud in recent years.
On July 31, several days after the Milvia Street shooting, Alameda County sheriff’s deputies stopped a car matching the description of the getaway car. Ryan and Croskey were inside, along with the 17-year-old driver and a female passenger, according to court papers. Police said all three male occupants in the Honda “are known members of Berkeley’s Waterfront ‘Babas’ gang,” according to court documents.
Ballistics testing on the gun confiscated during the car stop showed it to have been the one used in the Berkeley shooting, police wrote.
Cellphone records placed Croskey, Ryan and the 17-year-old in San Leandro prior to the shooting. After the shooting, police wrote, the records put Ryan and Croskey in Antioch.
On Oct. 18, police searched Croskey’s home in Antioch and arrested him.
“During a search of the residence, Detectives located: rifle magazines, armor penetrating rifle rounds, numerous handgun magazines, pistol ammunition, shot gun shells, and a vehicle registered to Croskey,” according to court papers. “The vehicle contained ammunition and a bullet hole in the trunk of the car.”
Croskey said he was not involved with the incident on Milvia Street and told investigators he is not in the Babas gang.
“Detectives interviewed Sirron Croskey,” police wrote. “Croskey denied any involvement in the Berkeley shooting and stated he found the magazines and ammunition in his backyard. Croskey denied being a Berkeley ‘Babas’ gang member. Croskey stated he was in Antioch during the time of the Berkeley shooting. When confronted with the fact that phone records showed Croskey was not in Antioch, Croskey became upset. When Detectives showed Croskey a photo of him and other ‘Babas’ gang members pictured together all holding guns, Croskey invoked his rights to have an attorney present.”
During the search of Croskey’s home, police wrote, “Ryan became aware he was wanted and lied to Detectives about his whereabouts.” On Oct. 29, Ryan, who lives in Oakland, turned himself in to BPD detectives. “He immediately invoked his right to have an attorney present,” according to court documents.
Both men initially were held on $370,000 bail in connection with the warrants for shooting at an inhabited vehicle and assault with a firearm. They have since been released and no charges have been filed.
