Man charged in shootout with Oakland police near Manzanita Park
Oakland police arrest armed suspect hours after shootout near Manzanita Park
Oakland police on Sunday afternoon found and arrested an armed suspect after he allegedly fired at officers at Manzanita Park and fled into the surrounding neighborhood.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A 45-year-old man is facing several charges after he allegedly shot at Oakland police and fled into a surrounding neighborhood before allegedly setting fire to an abandoned house.
Charged in two shootings
What we know:
The Alameda County District Attorney's office on Wednesday announced it had charged Aleem Spencer with attempted murder, assault on a police officer and arson in connection with the Sunday confrontation.
Authorities also said Spencer is facing charges in connection with an unrelated August 1 shooting that left a person seriously injured. The man faces attempted murder and assault with a firearm charges in that shooting.
Shootout with OPD
The backstory:
Oakland police responded about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday to the Reservoir Hills area after receiving multiple reports of a man threatening to kill a woman near the Manzanita Recreation Center.
Oakland Police Department Chief James Beere said the suspect – later identified as Spencer – immediately began shooting at officers who arrived at the scene, prompting the officers to return fire.
No one was injured in the shootout, but Spencer fled from police into the surrounding neighborhood, leading officers to establish a perimeter and issue a shelter-in-place order for residents as they searched the area.
Officers eventually found Spencer hiding in an abandoned house, though Beere said he began throwing incendiary devices – lit cans with flammable liquid – at police before he ultimately set fire to the house.
Authorities evacuated surrounding residences before moving in and arresting the suspect. Spencer suffered minor injuries in the fire, but no one else was reported injured.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Alameda County District Attorney and previous KTVU reporting.