Berkeley Police Arrest Suspect in Mechanics Bank Robbery

Berkeley police have arrested a San Pablo man suspected of robbing the Mechanics Bank branch at 1801 Solano Ave., Berkeley last month, a Berkeley Police Department spokesperson said.

James Craig Davis, 33, was identified through bank security photos and arrested during a traffic stop in Missouri on Jan. 22, Officer Stephanie Polizziani said today. Davis has been extradited to California, she said.

Davis is suspected of entering the bank at about 9:23 a.m. on Jan. 16, displaying a handgun and demanding cash from a teller, Polizziani said in a press release. He left the bank after obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, she said.

BPD robbery detectives immediately distributed security photos of the suspect to other law enforcement agencies in the region and a deputy with the Marin County Sheriff's Office notified Berkeley police the next day that he recognized the suspet, Polizziani said.

Detectives identified the suspect as Davis, obtained an arrest warrant and entered the warrant into stte and national databases on Jan. 22, she said.

Later that same day, a deputy sheriff indentified Davis during a traffic stop in Platte County, Missouri, placed him in custody without incident and notified BPD detectives, Polizziani said.

Davis will face robbery charges in Alameda County.