Insanity Plea; Arsonist Needs ID: Piedmont, East Bay Police Log

EAST BAY, CA — The following is a collection of police, fire and court stories compiled this week from the East Bay.

Man Pleads Not Guilty, Claims Insanity In BART Slaying

• Eighteen-year-old Nia Wilson was stabbed to death last year at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland.

ATF Arrests 2 In Orinda Halloween Shooting

• The arrests were made following warrants obtained by the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

Suspect Arrested In Connection With Robbery Spree

• The man is linked to at least 10 robberies and thefts in San Leandro and surrounding cities, police said.

Catalytic Converter Thefts On The Rise In Albany

• Thieves are after the metals, police said. Lightweight cars, such as Priuses, and trucks can be easy targets.

Suspect Arrested For Shooting Near UC Berkeley

• The victim, in his 20s, described as an innocent bystander, was shot Nov. 10 and hospitalized in serious condition, officials said.

Cold Case Rape Arrest: Man Accused In Union City, Livermore Cases

• Gregory Paul Vien, now 60, has been tied to two brutal sexual assaults that occurred in 1997: police. See the list of cities he frequented.

Pedestrian Killed On San Pablo Dam Road

• The 36-year-old was crossing the roadway when struck Thursday evening, the CHP said.

Can You ID This Arsonist?

• San Leandro Police say he poured an accelerant onto a tire and set an SUV on fire. It was destroyed.

Carjacking, Kidnapping In Fremont: Man Arrested, Police Say

• The case began as an attempted theft at a store and quickly escalated. Police recovered a loaded AK 47, a loaded AR 15, a hood, and gloves.

Toddler Boy Kidnapping Attempt: Berkeley Man Arrested

• Police tracked down, arrested Marcus Deberry, Jr., following the alleged kidnapping attempt at the Claremont branch library.

6 People Shot In 2 Days In Richmond

• One person remains in critical condition, police said.

Shooter Report False & Social Post Harmless At St. Mary's

• Reports of an active shooter on campus Thursday turned out to be false, police said.

Alameda Hires 4 New Police Officers

• The officers have begun field training.

Two People Shot In Union City Wednesday

• One person was shot in the back and the other in the leg.

BART Stabbing Suspect ID'd

• The Sacramento man is accused of stabbing to death a BART rider on Tuesday.

Suspects Protesting Berkeley Group Arrested In Robes, Masks: Cops

• The suspects, including at least one Berkeley resident, blocked the entrance to Westminster Woods camp, Sonoma County authorities said.

Man Killed In I-80 Crash In Berkeley Monday Identified

• A 27-year-old man was killed when his car was struck from behind by a car whose driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, police said.

Meet Walnut Creek's 3 New Police Officers

• They are all fresh graduates of the police academy.

Richmond Officer Threatened With Gun Before Shooting: Vallejo PD

• Richmond Police Sgt. Virgil Thomas has 27 years with the department.

San Pablo Shooting Death: Investigation

• The body was found in a parked car Wednesday morning.

Richmond Woman Tied To Carjacking Suspect: Police

• The case began as an attempted theft at a store and quickly escalated. Police recovered a loaded AK 47, a loaded AR 15, a hood, and gloves.

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