Readers wondered about the arrest of a homeless man earlier this week in downtown Berkeley. Photo: Moby Theobald
Several readers asked Berkeleyside to find out why it took seven officers to detain one man in downtown Berkeley earlier this week.
Wondered Stefanie Kalem: “Anybody know what just happened with seven cops and one very agitated man on the corner of Shattuck and Addison?”
The incident drew some attention because it took place in a highly trafficked area at a busy time of day, and involved quite a few officers and police vehicles. Video of the incident appears below.
The scuffle ultimately drew at least 10 officers to Shattuck Avenue and Addison Street on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at about 4:15 p.m. Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats said police were initially called for a report of a man who was “ranting, and appeared extremely agitated.”
Officers tried to speak with the man, Coats said, but he “became agitated and took a fighting posture towards the officers.” Officers tried to detain him and he became “physically combative … and resisted their attempts to take him safely into custody.”
Kevin Kunze, who was at the scene, posted the following video on YouTube, asking “How many Berkeley cops does it take to arrest one homeless person?” He wrote to Berkeleyside on Twitter and wanted to know more.(...)
Read the rest of Cluster of police arrest resistant homeless man (video) (547 words)
By emilie. |
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Post tags: Addison Street, Andrew Greenwood, Berkeley homelessness, Berkeley Police, Downtown Berkeley, Jennifer Coats, Kevin Kunze, Shattuck Avenue
