Update, Nov. 21: Federal agents arrested 40-year-old Mario Sanchez of Berkeley on Wednesday, DEA Special Agent Casey Rettig, an agency spokeswoman, told Berkeleyside. Sanchez was charged with four counts of MDMA distribution and had his initial appearance in San Francisco federal court Thursday.
Original story, Nov. 20: Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested a man in downtown Berkeley on Wednesday afternoon, according to officials and community reports.
At about 1:20 p.m., a community member who saw the operation shared photographs of officers in plainclothes, wearing bulletproof vests, making the arrest outside of the California Theatre, at 2113 Kittredge St., in downtown Berkeley.
The officers pulled up in several unmarked vehicles, including what appeared to be a light-colored Dodge pickup truck and dark-colored minivan, according to photographs shared by the witness.
“The level of weaponry was scary,” she told Berkeleyside. “As was the guy saying ‘there’s nothing to see here, you can move along.’”
DEA Special Agent Casey Rettig, an agency spokeswoman, said she could confirm that the arrest took place in Berkeley and that the person who was arrested would appear in federal court Thursday.
After that hearing, Rettig said, she would be able to share further details about the man who was arrested and what he has been charged with.
Correction: The original story mis-identified the location of this incident. The story has been fixed.
