A man has been charged with carjacking a Berkeley man at knifepoint Sunday night after authorities say they found him driving the stolen car in Antioch the next day.
The Berkeley resident had just parked in the 1000 block of Virginia Street, near Ninth Street, on Sunday at 9:20 p.m. when the carjacking took place, police said.
Two people approached the man and threatened him with a knife, said Officer Byron White, BPD spokesperson. The pair demanded the man’s car keys, wallet and other items.
He complied and the pair drove off in the white Kia Rio, which happened to be a rental car.
On Monday, Antioch police officers spotted the carjacked vehicle in their city and were able to detain the driver, White said.
He was identified as 21-year-old Elijah Fields of Antioch.
On Tuesday, the Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Fields with carjacking and robbery, and several special allegations related to the violent nature of the crime.
As of Wednesday, Fields remained in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, according to court records online.
His next court date and bail were not listed as of publication time.
Carjacking reports continue to be relatively rare in Berkeley: The city had about a dozen carjackings each in 2019 and 2020, the most recent data available Wednesday.
Update, Sept. 6: As of Sept. 1, Berkeley has had 12 carjackings in 2022, police told Berkeleyside.
Featured photo: A Berkeley police cruiser with its lights on at dusk, February 2022. Credit: Kelly Sullivan