Berkeley Police Arrest 10, Seize Makeshift ‘Weapons’ During Protests

Jason Wallach, 49, Kate Brenner, 69, and Kristen Edith Koster, 50, were arrested in Berkeley. (Berkeley Police Department)

Police in Berkeley, California, on Aug. 12 arrested 10 people on weapon possession charges as several hundred people gathered in the city for planned protests that threatened to spiral into broader violence.

On Facebook and Twitter, Berkeley police posted images of the weapons that they seized. Rocks, a hammer, sticks, metal rods, and pepper spray were confiscated.

“We are confiscating weapons and making arrests,” police said.

Jason Wallach, 49, and Kate Brenner, 69, who are both from Oakland, were charged with possession of a banned weapon, said police. Kristen Edith Koster, 50, who is from Berkeley, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon. Sarena Lynette Perez, 39, was also arrested on weapons charges, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Thomas Parker, 22, of Berkeley, was arrested on suspicion of working with others to commit a crime and Maria Lewis, 29, of Emeryville, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a banned weapon, according to the Mercury News.

A “No to Marxism” rally and a “Stop the Hate” protest were scheduled to take place at Berkeley’s Civic Center Park on Aug. 5. Berkeley city spokesman Matthai Chakko said neither group obtained permits from the city.

“We’ve seen what the patterns are and one of the patterns is using nonviolent protests as a cover for violence and what we encourage people to do is to separate themselves from violence,” Chakko told KTVU.

The city sent out a list of items that were banned from Ohlone and Civic Center parks on Sunday, including metal pipes, baseball bats, glass bottles, pepper spray, knives or daggers, shields, and slingshots, according to KTVU. They also banned people from wearing bandanas, masks, and scarves—a hallmark of the far-left anarchist-communist group Antifa.