Two people were arrested and charged in connection with a drive-by shooting in west Berkeley this month, police said. Ernest Portlock, 44, and Lanika Connors, 41, were detained for their suspected involvement in the Oct. 12 shooting on the 1000 block of Addison Street, the Berkeley Police Department said Tuesday. Initial reports indicated the shooting may have been the result of a “preceding altercation” between a group on the street, police said. Police did not explain what the altercation was about and did not immediately respond to a request for details.
Using automated license plate readers, investigators later homed in on a suspect vehicle, a white Honda SUV registered to Connors, police said. Officials said surveillance footage and witness statements reviewed by police show that the suspected shooter, Portlock, fired a handgun into a home. Portlock then allegedly ran from the scene, jumped into Connors’ Honda and fled the scene with Connors driving. During their investigation, authorities learned that Portlock had left the country and was in Jamaica. Working with the San Francisco Police Department’s Airport Division, officers arrested Portlock on Friday at San Francisco International Airport as he exited a plane.Police arrested Connors in Berkeley on Monday.Portlock was charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday with several felonies, including shooting at an occupied dwelling, negligent discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Prosecutors charged Connors with shooting at an occupied dwelling, negligent discharge of a firearm and acting as an accessory.
Both suspects remain in custody in Alameda County…