Update, Sept. 5: Police have identified the arrested man as 37-year-old Mohein Hassan of Berkeley. Hassan, a cashier, was arrested on suspicion of possessing an assault rifle, possessing a machine gun, possessing a large-capacity magazine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition and probation violation.
The other person who was detained during the incident was not arrested, BPD said Thursday. Police said Hassan lives in the building where he was seen with the rifle.
According to court records, Hassan has a lengthy criminal record including robbery, burglary and sex offenses. He is ineligible for bail. Hassan is scheduled for arraignment Friday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
Original story: Berkeley and Oakland police closed several blocks near the city border Wednesday afternoon due to a report about an armed man in the 3300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley.
Officer Byron White, BPD spokesman, said the initial report that came in shortly before 1 p.m. described a man “standing in a window waving around a gun.” The location, on MLK between 61st and 62nd streets, is on the Berkeley-Oakland border.
OPD got there first and set up a perimeter, White said. Officers detained two people, he said, but no details about them were immediately available.
On-duty members of BPD’s Special Response Team — what other law enforcement agencies call a SWAT team — responded to the block and searched the area. They found a rifle, White said. No injuries were reported.
White said both of the arrested individuals are facing weapon-related allegations.
Detectives were at the scene, as of about 4 p.m., and will remain there for the next couple of hours due to the ongoing investigation. White said at that time that the roadway had reopened.
According to a BPD Nixle alert, “at about 12:53 pm, the Oakland Police Department received a call about a man armed with a gun on the 3300 block of MLK Jr. Way [in Berkeley]. The Oakland Police Department was able to set-up a perimeter around the building and detained two suspects. On-duty members of the Berkeley Police Department’s Special Response Team searched the building and have determined that there is no on-going threat to the community.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Way was closed, as of about 2:20 p.m. “for all vehicle and pedestrian traffic between 61st Street and 62nd Street—northbound MLK Jr Way traffic is being held at Adeline Street.”
This story was updated during the incident due to the developing nature of events.
