Would-be thief asks undercover Berkeley cop to be his lookout
The officer, a sergeant with UCPD, said he was on duty in an unmarked car when a stranger asked him for a favor.
A man hoping to steal a motorcycle asked a stranger to be his lookout — only to end up in handcuffs when the stranger turned out to be a cop, court papers show.
The officer, a sergeant with the University of California Police Department, was parked near UC Berkeley property in Emeryville when a man on a bike rolled up to him, according to charging papers.
The officer was on duty, but wearing a windbreaker and sitting in an unmarked car near Intersection Apartments, a UC Berkeley housing complex at 3800 San Pablo Ave. (at Adeline Street), he wrote.
The cyclist, later identified as 38-year-old Johnny Harris (no address) "asked me if I knew anything about a motorcycle that was parked on 39th Street" nearby, the sergeant wrote.
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When the sergeant asked why, Harris "told me he wanted to steal it and was curious if I could help him out as a lookout," he wrote.
Harris said he planned to strip the bike and "ride it back to Oregon, where he's from," according to court papers.
When the sergeant got out of his car and identified himself as a police officer, Harris tried to run, resulting in a struggle, authorities said.
UCPD took him into custody after backup arrived and determined that Harris had a no-bail warrant for his arrest in San Francisco, according to charging papers.
Police also determined that Harris had previously been released from custody on his own recognizance in a pending vehicle theft case from Oakland, authorities said.
During the investigation, a dispatcher also advised officers that Harris was wanted in Oregon in connection with a gun case, police wrote.
UCPD found a replica handgun in Harris' backpack during a search, according to charging papers.
The Alameda County district attorney's office charged Harris with attempted vehicle theft, which is a felony, as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest, according to charging papers.
He was given a March 24 trial date in the new case but ended up entering a no-contest plea in the 2023 Oakland auto theft case before that could happen.
As a result of the negotiated settlement, the new case against Harris was dropped, court records show.
Last month, Harris also admitted he had violated his community supervision release terms, resulting in a 90-day sentence at Santa Rita Jail, according to court records.
As of this week, he remains in custody, according to jail records.
