A 45-year-old man with a history of parole violations is due in Oakland court Wednesday, facing charges tied to two separate shootings and a house fire that unfolded less than a month apart. Aleem Spencer was arrested after the second incident, a gunfire-and-arson standoff near Manzanita Park that ended with police finding him in an abandoned home.
According to KRON4, Alameda County prosecutors say the first shooting happened on August 1 in the 600 block of 34th Street, where officers found a victim suffering gunshot wounds to the back, abdomen, and arm, according to Alameda Patch. Spencer now faces attempted murder charges connected to that shooting.
The second incident unfolded on August 30 near 22nd Avenue and East 28th Street, close to Manzanita Park, when residents called 911 to report that Spencer was threatening a woman with a hammer, per the same account from CBS News. Officers arriving at the scene say Spencer fired several rounds at them before they moved the woman to safety and returned fire without sustaining injuries.
Chief Describes a Suspect Bent on Violence
Oakland Police Chief James Beere addressed the severity of the confrontation afterward, saying, “This could have been far worse... He obviously had some pretty violent tendencies, and he was out to hurt today. He was bent on killing someone today.” According to the district attorney's office, Spencer pulled out a gun, ran after firing at officers, and threatened to kill the woman before entering a nearby residence.
Prosecutors say Spencer then threw containers of flammable liquid at officers and started a fire that engulfed much of the residence. The Oakland Police Department deployed its SWAT team and an unmanned aerial drone while issuing a neighborhood shelter-in-place order, and the standoff stretched several hours before residents directed officers to an abandoned home on the 2600 block of 22nd Avenue where Spencer was found, according to Alameda Patch.
A Long Record of Parole Violations
Court records reviewed by KTVU show Spencer was released on supervised parole in 2025 after serving a 20-year prison sentence for a 2005 conviction of kidnapping and assault with intent to commit a sex crime, and he was registered as a sex offender following that conviction. While on parole between 2025 and 2026, Spencer racked up multiple arrests for parole violations, including one for possessing a loaded rifle with a 30-round magazine, KTVU reports.
A state parole agent wrote in court records that Spencer “has shown no progress in changing his criminal lifestyle, and his failures illustrate his resistance to positive changes.” Why he remained free despite that documented pattern of noncompliance is a question the dossier leaves unresolved, as does the current recovery status of the victim shot on August 1.
Charges and Potential Penalties
Spencer faces two counts of attempted murder, assault on a police officer, and arson stemming from the two incidents. Under California Penal Code sections 664 and 187, a conviction for second-degree attempted murder carries a state prison sentence of 5, 7, or 9 years, while first-degree premeditated attempted murder carries life imprisonment with parole eligibility, according to Justia Law.
Assault with a firearm on a peace officer under Penal Code section 245(d)(1) is punishable by 4, 6, or 8 years in state prison, per FindLaw. Willfully setting fire to an inhabited structure under Penal Code section 451(b) carries a sentence of 3, 5, or 8 years, according to Justia Law's separate statutory reference.
Spencer is slated to appear in Oakland court Wednesday for arraignment. Hoodline previously covered the Manzanita Park standoff as it unfolded, before the formal charges connecting it to the earlier 34th Street shooting were filed.
