BERKELEY — A 26-year-old Oakland man is in county jail thanks to an alert off-duty firefighter and an effective anti-theft device, authorities said.
Just before 6:55 a.m. Wednesday, a package deliverer left a loaded vehicle parked with its engine running in the 1100 block of University Avenue in North Berkeley, police said Thursday.
Moments later, a suspect managed to enter the vehicle and drive away, but an anti-theft device attached to its steering wheel began interfering with the getaway.
Soon after, the firefighter, who was heading to work, saw the vehicle near Virginia and Oxford streets as it attempted a 12-point turn.
When the firefighter looked closer and saw the driver trying to steer with the anti-theft device still on, he called police and began following from a safe distance.
Officers soon stopped the vehicle, still full of undelivered packages, in the 3000 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. They arrested the man just after 7:10 a.m. on suspicion of vehicle theft, driving with a suspended license and violation of probation.
The man was later booked into Santa Rita Jail, and faces an arraignment hearing Monday at Dublin’s East County Hall of Justice, according to a county records check Thursday afternoon.
Stolen vehicle recoveredhttps://t.co/jLIwE01jmO
— Berkeley Police (@berkeleypolice) November 12, 2020
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.