Watch CBS News

Man Sought Bay Area-Wide For Multiple Crimes Arrested In Berkeley Hills

OAKLAND (KCBS) – A man wanted for multiple burglary and robbery charges throughout the Bay Area has been arrested.

42-year-old Dimitri Storm was arrested in Berkeley Tuesday, but his real identity was not discovered until he was in custody, according to authorities.

The 42-year-old was wanted in Santa Cruz, Marin and Sonoma counties in connection with a number of different crimes.

Berkeley police officers responded to reports of a suspicious person trying to open car doors at Summit Road and Grizzly Peak Blvd. shortly after 3:00 a.m. Tuesday, according to a department spokeswoman.

The man gave officers a false name and became combative and tried to flee when officers attempted to put him in handcuffs,  said Berkeley Police spokeswoman Jennifer Coates.

Storm was believed to have been using the alias James Prouty Rollston at the time of his arrest.

After he was booked into Alameda County Jail in Dublin, investigators discovered his true identity and he was subsequently charged on a number of counts related to the alleged crime spree.

Storm's arraignment was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Friday at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.

He is alleged to have been involved in as many as 10 vehicle thefts and 40 vehicle burglaries across the Bay Area since late March.

Authorities believe Storm stole items from inside cars in Ben Lomond between March 31 and April 2, and later stole a GMC Acadia several counties north in Windsor.

When Sonoma County sheriff's deputies tried to pull over the stolen SUV in Petaluma on April 5, there was a confrontation in which the deputies tried to use a Taser on Storm.

Authorities said that Storm fled, driving to the Woodacre area in Marin County, where he slipped away.

Less than two weeks later, deputies spotted Storm in a stolen Lexus in the Carmel area in Monterey County, but he got away by driving through a construction zone. He later stole a Jeep Cherokee, in which he allegedly led police on a chase and nearly struck a patrol car, authorities said.

Investigators also believe Storm may have picked up a female hitchhiker in San Mateo County on April 22. The hitchhiker was dropped off at a scenic viewpoint in Palo Alto, shaken but unharmed.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.