BERKELEY, CA — A former University of California at Berkeley football player was charged on Wednesday with two felony counts for allegedly assaulting a Berkeley police officer and attempting to grab his gun in a struggle on the campus early Sunday morning.
Joseph Adeyem Wisdom Ogunbanjo, 19, was arraigned on charges of resisting an executive officer and attempted firearm removal and is scheduled to return to court on Friday to enter a plea.
Berkeley police Officer Vahe Minassian said in a probable cause statement that the attack happened on Gayley Road near University Drive,close to the Greek Theater and the Cal football stadium, at about 1 a.m. on Sunday.
Minassian said Ogunbanjo “asked me if I had a gun, then asked me if he could drive my patrol vehicle.” Ogunbanjo opened the driver’s side door without permission and “it appeared as if he was going to forcefully pull me out.”
The officer said he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Ogunbanjo as he got out of his vehicle and contacted dispatchers, but while he was waiting for cover Ogunbanjo started to grab him and then reached for his Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol twice.
Minassian said he punched Ogunbanjo in the head two or three times to stop him from taking the gun and that Ogunbanjo elbowed him in the face as they struggled. Minassian wrote that Ogunbanjo sat in the driver’s seat “as if he was going to steal” the car.
The officer said he hit Ogunbanjo on his arm with a baton two or three times to stop him from leaving. Minassian said another officer arrived to help take Ogunbanjo into custody but there was a struggle during the detention.
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