Robbery suspect hospitalized after Berkeley police shooting

BERKELEY >> A chain-wielding drugstore robbery suspect was hospitalized Saturday night after he was shot with a gun and less-lethal munitions by police, authorities said Sunday.

In a news release early Sunday, police said the 51-year- old man was in stable condition.

According to the release, about 8:22 p.m. on Saturday officers responded to a Walgreens at 2190 Shattuck Ave. for a reported robbery.

Police were told the suspect had left the store and officers spotted him walking on Bancroft Way. Police have not yet said what was taken in the robbery or if any employees were harmed or threatened.

Police said when officers attempted to detain the man, he walked into the courtyard of the Tang Center at 2222 Bancroft Way and threatened officers with a chain. A negotiator-trained officer attempted to deescalate the suspect, but “he continued to speak and act in an erratic manner,” police said in the release.

When officers attempted to take him into custody, the suspect advanced toward the officers, police said. Officers deployed less-lethal munitions and an officer also discharged a firearm at the man during the incident and wounded him, police said.

The man was taken to a hospital.

The shooting is being investigated by the department’s homicide and internal affairs units. Officers’ body worn cameras were activated during the confrontation and investigators were also looking for video surveillance from the area, authorities said. Police said in the release that per department policy the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will be notified of the investigation and the involved officer will be placed on administrative leave.

The last time a suspect was actually shot by Berkeley police was in 2012. The last time a Berkeley officer fired a gun at a suspect was in July 2020 when an officer shot at the vehicle of robbery suspects fleeing a drug store.