Police arrested a Berkeley Hills resident in connection with gunfire Friday evening, authorities report.
Just before 5:45 p.m., Berkeley police responded to Middlefield and Park Hills roads to investigate a possible gunshot, said Lt. Dave Lindenau of the Berkeley Police Department.
One community member, who asked Berkeleyside to find out more about the incident, said he saw at least four police cruisers surround a nearby house and search it. He said he “spoke with a couple of very friendly professional officers and they told me that there was an altercation between two brothers that lived there and neighbors heard a loud noise like a gunshot. They made an arrest and seized guns at the residence.”
Lindenau confirmed that police arrested 51-year-old Michael Moura, a resident in the 1000 block of Park Hills, in connection with possession of firearms and ammunition, and a probation violation. Police also arrested Moura on suspicion of willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence.
Lindenau did not provide information regarding the circumstances that may have led to the gunfire.
David Gold, a Berkeley Hills resident, said the gunfire sounded like “an earth-shattering blast,” adding, “Many from Crescent Park walked up to see what happened, as did those from higher ground. Some were expecting to see the site of an explosion, while others had no idea what happened.”
He said a nearby neighbor saw leaves and branches fall from a large tree next to the home right after the gunfire.
Moura was placed on probation through March 2023 after being charged in December 2017 with felony driving under the influence and reckless driving, according to Alameda County Superior Court records online. He entered a no contest plea in February 2018 to felony DUI.
Moura is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition because of his probation status.
He is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $90,000 bail and is set for arraignment Monday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, according to jail records online.
It’s the second gunfire arrest in Berkeley this year. On Feb. 21, officers arrested a West Berkeley man who shot a firearm in or around his van, according to police. He was charged by the Alameda County district attorney’s office with the discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and carrying a loaded firearm, both felonies.
Update, March 5: Moura is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. He is set to enter a plea March 18. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, both felonies, according to court records online.
