Berkeley, California (Monday, February 9,  2004) – On 2-5-04 at approximately 7:15p.m., Berkeley Police arrested a suspect in connection with a series of carjacking and robbery cases.  Detectives were able to identify the suspect based upon ATM photographs and identification by victims.  After hearing from relatives that Investigators wanted to speak to him about the investigation, the suspect contacted police.  Following a phone conversation, the suspect was arrested without incident by Berkeley Police on Alcatraz Avenue near Dover Street in Oakland.

Investigators identified the suspect as:

Ronald White, 45 Years Old, Berkeley Resident

White was arrested and booked into the Berkeley City Jail for three counts of robbery, three counts of carjacking and three counts of kidnapping for robbery.  Additional charges are possible as the investigation continues and Detectives contact additional victims and witnesses.  Investigators will also be working to determine if White may be responsible for any other robbery cases.

White is believed responsible for a series of at least four carjacking / robbery cases occurring between 11-25-03 and 2-1-04.  All of these cases involved lone female drivers who were brandished with a knife and forced into the passenger seat.  The suspect then drove away with the victim and the victim’s car.  In three of the cases, the suspect withdrew money from the victim’s bank accounts at ATM machines.  In one case, the victim was sexually assaulted.

Berkeley Police Robbery Detective Chris Stines, one of the lead investigators states, “The propensity for violence was huge.  We believe that Mr. White acted alone in this series and we are very happy to have identified and arrested him before another person was able to be victimized”.

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