Man Arrested After Allegedly Breaking Into Berkeley Fraternity With Gun
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- A San Pablo man has been arrested on suspicion of home invasion robbery and other charges for allegedly breaking into one University of California at Berkeley fraternity with a gun on Sunday night and trying to break into another one, police said.
Officers responded to a fraternity in the 2300 block of Piedmont Avenue, near Channing Way, at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday after getting calls about a man who was there with a gun, according to Officer Byron White.
The callers told police the suspect also had tried to break into another nearby fraternity and was pointing his gun at passing vehicles, White said.
Officers responding to the calls confronted a man at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Channing Way and told him to stop and keep his hands up but he ignored their commands, according to White.
However, the officers were able to close in on the suspect quickly and tackle him before anyone was injured, White said.
Police identified the suspect as 22-year-old Julio Cesar Perez of San Pablo.
In addition to suspicion of home invasion robbery, Perez was arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded handgun and carrying a concealed handgun.
Officers recovered Perez's loaded handgun and also found additional ammunition in his vehicle, which was parked nearby, White said.
Students KPIX 5 spoke with about the crime had different reactions Monday night.
"I feel safe living around here and it's been a really enjoyable experience living here this summer," said Suzy Goldberg.
However, several students said they feared for their safety because of the proximity of the fraternities to People's Park.
"There's been people shot there, jumped, robbed and it's pretty scary. I don't feel like the school does a lot to keep us safe," said UC Berkeley sophomore Samantha Ready.
Perez is being held at the Berkeley Jail in lieu of $380,000 bail and is tentatively scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
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