Police peacefully end standoff with heavily armed man passed out in vehicle

Police in Berkeley on Thursday arrested a man in connection with several crimes following a reported standoff with officers.

The 52-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and several weapons violations, according to the Berkeley Police Department. The suspect’s name was not immediately available.

On Thursday at 1:47 p.m., officers responded to the 1400 block of Prince Street on a report of a possibly intoxicated man passed out inside a vehicle.

Responding officers also received information the man had two firearms inside the vehicle. As a safety measure, officers surrounded the vehicle, maintained their distance and placed stop sticks near the vehicle’s tires to ensure the man did not drive away.

An armored vehicle was also brought to the scene to offer cover as negotiators tried to contact the man with a loudspeaker. After initial attempts to wake the man with the loudspeaker, a K-9 unit and an additional armored vehicle were brought to the scene.

As additional agencies responded to the scene, the man woke up and started communicating with police negotiators. The man ultimately got out of his vehicle at 4:30 p.m. and was taken into custody without incident.

Officers located several empty vodka bottles, a handgun, a rifle, a collapsible baton, several hundred rounds of ammunition and four replica firearms inside the vehicle.

Bay City News

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