South Berkeley woke up to a full-scale police operation this week when Berkeley police’s Special Response Team hit a small multiunit building near Essex Street in an early-morning sweep tied to a San Pablo homicide investigation. Officers arrested a 22-year-old man as neighbors reported hearing loud blasts and watching a convoy of armored and unmarked vehicles roll onto the block.
Witnesses said officers used the loudspeaker at about 4:30 AM and deployed at least two “flash-bang” distraction devices before moving into the 3000 block of Tremont Street. A BearCat armored vehicle and an Alameda County sheriff’s drone backed up the team, and the suspect, who was arrested on a Ramey warrant and later turned over to San Pablo police, was taken into custody, according to The Berkeley Scanner. Neighbors called the explosions “loud and scary” but said officers kept a calm, controlled presence throughout the operation.
Case Traces Back To Late December San Pablo Shooting
The arrest is tied to a double shooting on Dec. 29, 2025, in the 1400 block of Rumrill Boulevard in San Pablo that left one man dead and another critically injured, according to SFGATE. Local reporting later identified the man who died as 36-year-old Clarence Hughes Jr. of Richmond and noted that investigators were seeking tips and video from the public, per Richmondside.
Four Suspects In Custody, Records Show
Records reviewed by The Berkeley Scanner indicate that at least four men, all 22 years old, were arrested this week in connection with the San Pablo case and are being held on $2,000,000 bail. They are being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder while detectives and prosecutors continue reviewing evidence. Police used a Ramey warrant, an arrest tool that lets officers go to a judge for authorization before formal charges are filed so they can move quickly while prosecutors decide whether to file charges, according to Bulldog Law.
What Officials Are Saying And How To Help…