Nov. 26 Identity Theft, Mail Theft, Unlicensed Driver: Deputies stopped a motorist at Saratoga Avenue and Quito Road for multiple equipment violations. They investigated and found the driver did not have a license and had two outstanding warrants. Inside the vehicle, deputies located numerous articles of stolen mail, checks, debit cards and a driver's license, none of which belonged to either the driver or passenger. Both suspects were arrested and booked into the main jail.
Upon arrival, officers located the individual inside the residence, the department said. While attempting to detain the individual, a brief struggle ensued. After being taken into custody, the individual became unresponsive. Paramedics gave medical assistance and the suspect was transported to a hospital, where the person died, police said. Police who were involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, following department policy.
The suspect - Albert Decoto, 46, of Oakland, who was arrested Oct. 9 - has been charged with four counts of first degree residential burglary, three counts of first degree residential robbery, one count of carjacking, two counts of vehicle theft, one count of assault on a peace officer and one count of attempted carjacking, all felonies. He has also been charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance.
Theft by access card: A Saratoga resident reported that someone used their debit card information to make two unauthorized ATM withdrawals totaling approximately $426. Oct. 3 Check forgery: A Saratoga resident reported that someone obtained a check the victim mailed out from a US Post Office, then altered and attempted to cash the check for approximately $24,000, but the victim contacted the bank and stopped the transaction in time.
Two suspects are in custody following an investigation into a series of violent home-invasion robberies and burglaries that primarily targeted women in Berkeley, police said. The primary suspect identified only as a convicted felon confronted the victims in their bedrooms or living spaces, demanded personal belongings and escaped in stolen vehicles, police said, adding that in one incident, he threatened to shoot a resident.
A man accused of fatally stabbing a 71-year-old retiree in her National City home last week had initially posed as a door-to-door salesman before later ambushing her, beating her with a rock then attacking her with her own kitchen knives, a prosecutor alleged Monday. Noel Trevino, who prosecutors believe was a stranger to the woman, allegedly killed Wanda Taylor when she returned alone to the house she shared with her husband on Division Street near D Avenue around noon Wednesday, prosecutors said.
