Off-Duty Officer Shoots, Kills Gunman At San Pablo Nation’s Restaurant Sunday

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A 29-year-old Richmond man died of his wounds after an aborted robbery attempt at a San Pablo Nation’s restaurant Sunday – the suspect confronted by an off-duty UC Berkeley Police Sergeant and shot as he attempted to rob a cashier at gunpoint.

The incident was reported at approximately 11:31 a.m., with witnesses reporting the unidentified officer holding the wounded man at gunpoint after the robber, later identified as Amanuel Moreno of Richmond, entered the restaurant at 16396 San Pablo Avenue and produced a gun.

The unidentified campus police officer, dining at the restaurant at the time, confronted the gunman and is believed to have fired a single shot. Moreno was taken to John Muir Hospital where he was declared deceased.

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47 Comments

  1. Greg T on Dec 12, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    You know, and this is going to sound callous,
    but I believe that if criminals knew that there was a high probability of being shot, that they would stop their activity. Ditto, if they knew they would be arrested in jailed, they would stop. But somehow, with the label of ‘social justice’, we’re letting the criminals get away with everything. And that’s not helping them nor society.

    • Abe on Dec 12, 2021 at 7:51 pm

      Agreed. The crimes wouldn’t stop completely, but the number of illegal activities would diminish considerably.

      • honeybtemple on Dec 13, 2021 at 9:26 am

        That’s ignoring the reality of why people commit these kinds of crimes. People DO realize they have a risk of dying in the act, yet they commit crimes like this anyway. They’re desperate. When you’re desperate, death doesn’t seem that bad. If prison time or death stopped crime, we’d have a lot less crime. It’s almost as if what we’re doing now to try and stop crime doesn’t work well (using the threat of death or Imprisonment) and we should try other methods that acknowledge why crime happens.

        • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:04 am

          Most aren’t that desperate, between CalFresh, MediCal, Section 8, Food Stamps, etc there are plenty of programs to get help. Mostly it’s greed and having what more productive society also has. 108RS

        • John Smith on Dec 13, 2021 at 12:01 pm

          If this habitual perp was kept in jail for life he would not have been able to do this. Problem solved.

        • AnG on Dec 13, 2021 at 1:04 pm

          Well we can’t force people to go get a job instead of robbing people and considering the fact that if I could figure out a way to get a monkey a social security # I bet I could get it a job by tomorrow, why don’t you enlighten us on your theory of how we stop people from making crime their career???

      • Wayne on Dec 13, 2021 at 11:52 am

        Do.you think that would have stopped Trumps cult from.running up in the capital? Has the threat of jail.or.death stopped.evil people from.being.racist ? Has the threat of jail.or.death stopped qhute kods.from.shooting up.schools and killing kids? There’s your answer!!!

        • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 1:53 pm

          These eyes have seen a thousand deaths. 108RS

          • NEWS24-680 on Dec 13, 2021 at 1:58 pm

            Again, you’re kinda in our heads as we hold court with a fellow veterano of the News Scene and we talked about how much we’ve lain eyes on in our day. Couple of very sad stories unfolding in our area triggered the memory rush but, we’re lucky, we’ve always been able to keep the memories in the appropriate Memory Locker…



          • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 2:08 pm

            Well, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve handed out four copies of this book to WCPD officers, they need the extra training:

            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23157689-firestone-park

            This is where I was trained. 108RS



          • NEWS24-680 on Dec 13, 2021 at 2:14 pm

            We’re pleased to be in touch with several working officers from departments throughout the area and always enjoy our banter, occasional tussles, and their input. Just for grins, how are your LEO friends/acquaintances reacting to your largesse?



          • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 2:18 pm

            Usually gracefully, one took it bitterly, having to realize that being field trained in WC leaves one unprepared for the realities of Oakland, Antioch or South Central LA. 108RS



    • Robert April on Dec 13, 2021 at 7:43 am

      Studies suggest that armed citizens don’t reduce crime overall, but they cause violent criminals to either choose a non-confrontational crime instead (like burglary of unoccupied homes and businesses), or they move to another area where the citizens aren’t armed.

      • John Smith on Dec 13, 2021 at 12:11 pm

        Studies also show that criminals cant commit these crimes while behind bars.

      • Robert April on Dec 13, 2021 at 2:05 pm

        It costs more to put a criminal behind bars than it does to put them up in a high-priced hotel. We might as well GIVE them what they were trying to steal and pay for it with taxes. Or we could just convert hotels into jails and save money.

        • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 2:21 pm

          Or, we could bring back rural rustic housing dormitories for non-violent offenders, of course there would be no air conditioning and limited heating, the ACLU might not be too happy. Think, Sheriff Joe in Arizona with a couple of upgrades. 108RS

          • Doug Heaney on Dec 13, 2021 at 3:23 pm

            Looks like Amanuel has at least triggered a healthy discussion on criminal justice. Personally, since a few here have already touched on the idea, I would like to see a return of the CCC – with one segment devoted to putting unemployed underprivileged youth to work in public parks or projects and give them a taste of hard work, regimentation, and money they can send to their families. The other end of it can draw from current prison populations, giving low threat inmates a chance to work and earn for their families outside of the prison system. Apparently CCC had a 5 percent “desertion” rate when it was up and running – I would suggest those who run be sent back to prison. It was a very popular program.



    • Nate on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:54 am

      He was already convicted of five armed bank robberies. If you google his name, his facebook profile pops up with a quote written by him. It will take you a few minutes to decipher what he is saying but the irony is unreal, this man was just not cut out for society. I laughed but its really not funny. RIP glad no one innocent was hurt
      .

  2. Dan Gephardt on Dec 12, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    He was there and intervened?

  3. Aaron The Brenner on Dec 12, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Someone was holding up a Nation’s????

    • City Hall and Oates on Dec 12, 2021 at 8:18 pm

      I would imagine it’s a prime target. Probably a lot of cash, although they do take credit cards now. Maybe they had a security guard. I would.

    • honeybtemple on Dec 13, 2021 at 9:28 am

      My first thought was: why would anyone eat at Nation’s, much less a cop.

      • Nate on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:58 am

        Their pie is great!

        • Terri on Jan 9, 2022 at 11:50 pm

          I worked there in 1977. I moved out of California over 30 years ago. Never going back.

  4. Tim on Dec 12, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    Update?

    • NEWS24-680 on Dec 12, 2021 at 7:54 pm

      Nothing official at this time, Tim.

      • Tim on Dec 12, 2021 at 9:26 pm

        Caught the update….. thankx

  5. Kim Gunderson on Dec 12, 2021 at 7:53 pm

    Just another quiet Sunday in the east bay.

  6. E Baldassare on Dec 12, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    Glad the officer and customers are ok

  7. Dan Bertia on Dec 12, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    To much of a hurry to notice the guy in blue with the badge and the gun????

  8. Robert Canfield on Dec 12, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    Crazy.

  9. Jay on Dec 13, 2021 at 12:25 am

    I’m from Arizona. We are an open and carry state. I promise we won’t have this kind of nonsense in our state because robbers and carjackers would get shot in the ass every time. If not from the potential victim, then it would be from just about anybody from anywhere. California should become an open and carry state. People get guns in California anyway. But if you make it legal robbers would think twice

    • City Hall and Oates on Dec 13, 2021 at 5:45 am

      Arizona was in the top 11 for violent crime rates in 2019, topping California. Is open carry new in Arizona since 2019?

    • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:13 am

      Jay,

      SCOTUS has a case before it that will make CA an open carry state.

      108RS

      • Gregg on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:35 am

        O goody!!! I can’t wait to be able to wave my gun at people who cut in front of me at Costco or take that parking spot I had my eye on!!!! Now I won’t have to move to Texas or Arizona!!!!

      • City Hall and Oates on Dec 13, 2021 at 7:30 pm

        Good. We shouldn’t live in a society where only cops have guns. It’s really a bad idea to allow cops to be the only ones to open carry.

        • NEWS24-680 on Dec 13, 2021 at 8:22 pm

          From the Editor: We know folks here would prefer to talk amongst themselves rather than hear from us and we get that but we’ll just interject that we lived in an environment of the type you mention (Naknek, Alaska 1975-’77) and almost everyone carried because of bears and ill-behaved humans. The nearest law enforcement was a small plane flight away. Despite the closed nature of the community and beauty of the place guns were carried – and used. And that’s when we learned at a relatively young age that bullets make really big holes in people. It tended to keep one on edge – all the time. And we don’t know that we would like to live that way. JOTC. Carry on.

          • Jeff on Dec 14, 2021 at 8:08 am

            24/680,

            Alaska may not be the best choice for a comparison. It tends to draw those facing financial or emotional challenges:

            In the most recent Survey, 13.65 percent of Alaska residents reported using illicit drugs in the past month. The national average was 8.82 percent.

            If the more liberal states were a bit more generous with concealed carry permits, it would not come to this. I’m not in favor of open or concealed carry for everyone, I think mandatory training and governmental oversight would be fine, but Ca, Ma and NY have pushed this too far.

            108RS



    • Randy Prescott on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:28 am

      — and a few innocent bystanders from time to time. But hey, lead is cheap and parking spaces are worth shooting someone over… yippie ki ayyyy!

      • Jeff on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:44 am

        Randy,

        If you have mental health issues which preclude you from making rational decisions, perhaps you should not own a firearm. 108RS

        • Nate on Dec 13, 2021 at 10:57 am

          He was already convicted of and did time for five armed bank robberies. No way in hell was that gun purchased legally.

  10. William Bisi on Dec 13, 2021 at 12:29 am

    I just happened to be driving by at the same time the police were showing up!! I saw the guy laying in the doorway, he was gone.

  11. Robert April on Dec 13, 2021 at 7:45 am

    Correction to article: This was at the Pinole Nation’s at the foot of Tara Hills Drive, not the San Pablo outlet near the casino.

  12. Wayne on Dec 13, 2021 at 12:21 pm

    Inadvertently white collar crime has been going on for decades and the threat of.jail.hasnt stopped.them.not.one bit sooo!!!

  13. Keith Montoya on Dec 13, 2021 at 4:13 pm

    The only fear they have is whether the other guy has a gun. And he did. And the suspect is dead, and the taxpayers are saving money. With five armed robberies you’d think he’d still be in prison. Good riddance to a career criminal. Thank you to the off-duty officer.

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