Update, July 16: Jason Goode, a 52-year-old Berkeley man, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and multiple weapons violations Thursday after officers found numerous firearms in his vehicle, as well as bottles of alcohol, according to Berkeley police.
Police spokesperson Officer Byron White said BPD found a handgun, a rifle, a collapsible baton and several hundred rounds of ammunition, in addition to four replica firearms and seven small bottles of alcohol.
Goode was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication, carrying concealed firearms inside a car, owning a firearm while being prohibited from doing so because of a restraining order, having high-capacity magazines, being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition and having a collapsible baton, according to police.
He was booked at Santa Rita Jail and his arraignment is scheduled for Monday.
Update, 4:50 p.m. A man who was initially unresponsive in his vehicle with guns surrendered to officers without incident on Thursday evening, according to Berkeley police.
Police responded to the scene shortly after 1:30 p.m. to reports of a man passed out in his car with guns visible inside the vehicle, according to police spokesperson Officer Byron White.
Officers used loudspeakers for about three hours to try and rouse the man, and he eventually came to at about 3:50 p.m., when he surrendered to police without incident, according to White.
White said police found two handguns and a long gun (either a shotgun or a rifle) inside the car “within arms reach” of the driver on the passenger side, but did not specify where exactly they were located. Officers are still on scene investigating the vehicle to determine if there are additional firearms, and the man’s arrest details are not yet available.
Berkeley police requested backup from Richmond police to deploy a canine unit, but didn’t end up using it, White said, and officials with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office also arrived at the scene with a drone.
“The best outcomes come when you’re able to use time, and distance. The more resources we have at our disposal that allow us to keep distance, the better outcomes that are possible,” White said, explaining the backup agencies. “A canine or a drone allows to keep our distance.”
Prince and Dohr streets are currently closed in the area, but Sacramento Street has reopened as of 5 p.m.
Original story: Berkeley police are responding to reports of an unresponsive man with at least one gun in his vehicle in Southwest Berkeley on Thursday afternoon, and some residents in the area have been asked to shelter in place.
At about 1:47 p.m., Berkeley police received reports of a man passed out, possibly impaired or intoxicated, in a car in the 1400 block of Prince Street, according to police spokesperson Officer Byron White. Another reporting party then said the person also had firearms in the vehicle.
Officers responded to the scene and found the man “slumped” in his car and also saw at least one gun in the vehicle, White said. The man has been stirring, but unresponsive, and White said officers are using a loudspeaker to try and wake him up.
Only one person is believed to be inside the car at this time, according to White, and some residents in the immediate area have been asked to stay inside their homes as of 4 p.m.
In a Nixle alert, police also asked people to avoid the surrounding area bounded by Ashby Avenue, Dohr Street, 66th Street and Sacramento Street. A citizen reporter said the area is completely cordoned off as of 4:30 p.m.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
