Oakland police highlighted recent arrests they have made in murder cases and two shootings of police officers last week, but said the public's help is needed to solve other crimes, including the shooting of an 8-year-old girl on Monday.
Police Chief Howard Jordan, Mayor Jean Quan and others held a news conference at police headquarters Tuesday to discuss the arrests and ask for witnesses to violent crimes to come forward. Jordan condemned the attacks on the officers, which occurred on Jan. 21 on Seminary Avenue and last Friday at 47th Avenue and East 12th Street. Both officers survived.
"They were doing their job," Jordan said. "Officers are the last line of defense for our society, and if you target them, we will get you." Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 21 incident, in which an undercover officer was shot in the arm.
The suspects, Damien McDaniel, 23, and Glenn Wilson -- who is also known as Deante Kincaid -- are facing charges of assault on a peace officer, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, second-degree robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. McDaniel and Wilson both have prior convictions for auto theft and possession of illegal weapons.
The officer who was wounded, Eric Karsseboom, was attacked at about 6:20 p.m. while he was participating in a stakeout in the 1700 block of Seminary Avenue. According to a probable cause statement written by Officer Leo Sanchez, Karsseboom was sitting in an unmarked police car when he was accosted by several suspects, including McDaniel and Wilson. Sanchez said McDaniel removed Karsseboom's off-duty weapon from inside the car, and Wilson and an unidentified third suspect pointed guns at him.
McDaniel then tried to remove Karsseboom's police-issued weapon from the officer's waistband, and when Karsseboom tried to stop him, Wilson and the third suspect pistol-whipped the officer, causing several cuts to his head, according to Sanchez.
Sanchez said McDaniel then shot Karsseboom in his left forearm and took the officer's service weapon. Karsseboom identified himself as a police officer but the suspects told him they didn't believe him, and at one point said they "don't care if he is in fact a police officer," according to Sanchez. All three suspects initially escaped, but McDaniel and Wilson were later arrested.
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Police said today that Kincaid had fled the Bay Area and was headed to Mississippi when he was arrested in Houston. Police have also arrested one suspect, Nathaniel Cook, 30, in connection with Friday's shooting, which happened around 5:45 p.m. as officers were responding to a crash at 47th Avenue and East 12th Street.
The officers heard gunshots, and when they went toward the sound, they encountered a person with a gun.
The person shot one of the officers and ran away. Cook was arrested near the scene of the shooting a short time later. Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hora said a total of 12 people have been arrested and charged in Oakland homicide cases since Dec. 12. Police named 10 suspects who have been arrested recently for Oakland murders dating back as far as January 2011.
Hora said the recent rash of violence "often leads to a feeling of hopelessness, but I know it's important to acknowledge the results" that police and prosecutors are achieving. Police are still trying to identify suspects in Monday's shooting that injured the 8-year-old girl as she stood outside a house in the 2200 block of 65th Avenue shortly before 2:30 p.m. The girl, who police said was not the intended target, was shot in the leg but is expected to survive.
"We want to track down those who committed this very senseless act of violence," Jordan said. He said, "This particular case is very nerve-wracking because we know people saw what happened, but we haven't been able to get the information from them that we need."
Quan said she is in touch with other mayors in order to "work more regionally" on fighting crime. City Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the Fruitvale District, called on the city to declare a state of emergency that would enable Oakland to get help from the state. Gallo said other city officials are hesitant to make that declaration because "they're afraid it'll give Oakland a bad name, but hell, we're already on the news every day."
Anyone with information about the shooting of the 8-year-old girl or any other cases is asked to call the Police Department's major crimes unit at (510) 238-3821 or a ti
