Woman arrested for allegedy threatening Berkeley mom, 5-year-old with gun
BERKELEY -- A Bay Point woman has been arrested after she allegedly pointed a gun at a Berkeley mom who was coming to the aid of her 5-year-old son.
Berkeley police said the incident took place in the city's Strawberry Creek Park neighborhood on Aug. 29. A woman -- reportedly identified as Tiffany Payne -- approached a 5-year-old boy on the 2200 block of Bonar Street and started bothering him.
When the child's mother confronted her, the suspect pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the mother's head. She shot the gun in the air and then threatened the mom.
Berkeley police said in a news release that the shooting took place in a driveway between two apartment buildings which border Strawberry Creek. At the time of the shooting, there were multiple children present that could have been harmed by the gunfire.
After the speaking with witnesses and reviewing security footage from the area, investigators identified the suspect. On November 29th, detectives arrested the suspect after serving a search warrant of her Bay Point residence. They also recovered a loaded handgun that had previously been stolen during a robbery in Oakland.
On November 30th, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged the suspect with criminal threats, unlawfully discharging a firearm in a negligent manner, willfully causing a child to suffer and criminal enhancement for using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Booking information from Santa Rita jail shows that Payne was arrested on Nov. 29 on those four counts.
