EBT card left at scene leads police to suspect in Oakland hit-and-run after First Fridays brawl
7 pedestrians injured after chaotic night in Oakland
Seven people – including one juvenile – were hurt in Downtown Oakland early Saturday morning when a car mounted the sidewalk following a brawl during First Friday celebrations.
OAKLAND, Calif. - An EBT card and identification card left at the scene of a violent hit-and-run helped investigators identify a man accused of intentionally driving into a crowd after a brawl broke out following Oakland First Fridays celebrations, authorities said.
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office on Monday charged 25-year-old Dameon Denzel Clay with attempted murder and multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the May incident.
"This case involves an intentional act of extreme violence in which the defendant drove his car onto a sidewalk, striking multiple victims and causing serious injuries," said District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a statement.
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Fight escalated into vehicle attack
The backstory:
The incident occurred on May 2, hours after the official Oakland First Fridays event had ended, although crowds remained in the area.
According to the Oakland Police Department, multiple fights broke out. As officers were breaking up the fights, they received reports at about 1:37 a.m. of a vehicle striking pedestrians in the 500 block of 18th Street.
Responding officers found a red 2013 Hyundai Elantra on the sidewalk after it had struck eight people after a fight. The driver fled the scene on foot, police said.
Social media video evidence
Dig deeper:
Investigators reviewed social media videos that captured the events leading up to the crash. According to police, the footage showed Clay fighting with an unidentified woman moments before the Hyundai Elantra drove onto the sidewalk and accelerated toward a crowd of pedestrians.
The vehicle struck multiple people before crashing into a gate and coming to a stop. Police said Clay then got out of the car and ran toward San Pablo Avenue.
During the investigation, officers recovered an EBT card and identification card bearing Clay's name near the driver's seat of the vehicle.
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Arrest made in San Francisco
Authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Clay, who was taken into custody at his San Francisco home on July 2.
Incident occurred outside official event
Local perspective:
The police department emphasized that the violence was unrelated to the official Oakland First Fridays event and occurred outside its permitted footprint.
The sanctioned event is held along Telegraph Avenue between 22nd and 27th streets from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Police said the altercations took place after the event had ended and outside the designated festival area.
The Source: This report was written based on information from the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and prior reporting.