Driver crashes fleeing Berkeley cops; gun seized, 4 arrested
BPD has seized more than 30 guns this year, according to preliminary data.
Berkeley police found a loaded gun and arrested four men Friday morning after they crashed while fleeing from an officer who tried to pull them over, authorities report.
The incident began at about 12:20 a.m. when BPD saw the driver speeding at University Avenue and Acton Street and tried to make a car stop, Berkeley police said in response to a Scanner inquiry.
Instead of stopping, the driver took off at a "high rate of speed," running stop signs and driving recklessly through the West Berkeley neighborhood, authorities said.
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The driver didn't get far, police said, coming to a stop several blocks away after hitting two parked cars near California Street and Allston Way in central Berkeley.
During the subsequent investigation, police found a loaded gun in the car and arrested all four occupants in connection with it, BPD said.
The gun had been reported stolen, police said.
The arrested men were identified as Oakland residents Cesar Ramos, Pheakkdey Em and Victor Cuevas, all 21, and 20-year-old Kha Le, according to police and booking records.
Ramos, the driver, was also arrested on suspicion of felony evasion, DUI and hit-and-run causing property damage, police said. He is being held on $180,000 bail.
Bail for the passengers was set at $90,000, according to jail records.
All four men are set for arraignment Wednesday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
No other information was immediately available as of publication time.
Berkeley police have already seized more than 30 guns, including five "ghost" guns, this year, according to preliminary BPD data.
