Two Berkeley men were arrested Thursday night in East Oakland on suspicion of multiple gun charges in what may have been an attempt to avenge a friend’s murder, police said.
At around 7 p.m., a citizen called the police reporting a group of men in a burgundy van with multiple firearms, according to a report by the Oakland Tribune. Oakland police Capt. Ersie Joyner III said he began to follow the men, who turned into the parking lot at Mi Pueblo Food Center on the 1600 block of High Street.
Two of the men ran through the market parking lot while two more went into the store. Though the two men who ran into the parking lot were arrested, police could not locate the other two even after the store was evacuated. Police did find three firearms on the scene, according to Sgt. Chris Bolton, chief of staff for the Oakland Police Department.
Police also experienced some difficulties with the radio connection, making it difficult for Joyner to communicate the whereabouts of the other suspects to additional police officers, Bolton said.
Bolton said suspect statements collected in the preliminary investigation led police officers to believe the men were attempting to retaliate against the murder of their friend Terrance K. Smith Jr., who was shot to death Sept. 3.
Jacob Johnson, 18, and Justin Johnson, 22 — who are not related — are the two men who were arrested. Jacob Johnson is no longer in jail, most likely because it was his first arrest, Joyner said. Justin Johnson remains in custody.
Bolton said it is currently just speculation that the men were attempting to retaliate against the murder of their friend. If this is the case, however, there is a good chance that the violence may be gang-related, he said.
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So police can’t find the murderer of Terrance Smith, but two young punks can?