Former Cal Football Player Accused of Trying to Steal a Police Car

Former Cal Football Player Accused of Trying to Steal a Police Car
Photo: Joseph Ogunbanjo

BERKELEY — A former University of California at Berkeley football player has been taken into custody. He was recently kicked off the team and now he is suspected of attempting to steal a police car and an officer’s gun. Sophomore Joseph A. Ogunbanjo, 19, allegedly flagged down and attacked the officer.

The incident happened on Gayley Road, near campus on December 8 at approximately 1 a.m. An officer spotted a man walking in the middle of the road waving at him to stop, which the officer did.

Apparently, Ogunbanjo approached the police car and began asking questions about the officer’s gun. Next, he asked to take the police car for a drive, and the situation escalated from there.

After the officer ordered him to step away, Ogunbanjo evidently opened the car door. The officer got out of the car and Ogunbanjo appeared cooperative, but moments later he allegedly attacked the officer.

During a struggle the officer attempted to handcuff him, and Ogunbanjo is said to have reached for the officer’s gun. According to the police he demanded that the officer hand over his gun.

At one point, the officer got elbowed in the head and Ogunbanjo got into the driver’s seat of the police car. The officer used a baton to get him out of the car, where there was another firearm inside.

Minutes later, back up units arrived and Ogunbanjo was taken into custody at 1:14 a.m. He presently remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $185,000 bond. He faces charges for trying to take an officer’s firearm, carjacking, battery on an officer, and resisting an officer.

Ogunbanjo stands 6 foot, three inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. He played linebacker on the Cal football team, but he was recently permanently suspended from the team.

Former Cal Football Player Accused of Trying to Steal a Police Car was last modified: December 19th, 2019 by admin
Categories: Alameda

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Jim Emerson

Jim Emerson is a northern California writer covering crime and arrest related news in the Bay Area - focusing primarily on Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin counties.