Gunshots rang out near San Pablo Avenue and Adeline Street in Emeryville on Tuesday night, sending officers scrambling toward a scene just blocks from a school — and by the time the smoke cleared, police had a 49-year-old local man in custody and suspected explosive materials pulled from his home.
Emeryville police responded at approximately 10:20 p.m. Tuesday to multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire near the 4100 block of San Pablo Avenue and Adeline Street, according to a press release from the Emeryville Police Department. The reported shots were fired close to East Bay German International School at 1070 41st Street, though KRON4 reports no injuries resulted from the gunfire.
Officers got help from the Oakland Police Department and the California Highway Patrol as they moved to secure the area and search accessible locations, per the department's account. While working the perimeter, officers heard additional volleys of gunfire, but initially could not locate a crime scene, suspects or victims.
Search Leads to a House Full of Explosives
The investigation eventually led police to a residence in the 4000 block of Adeline Street, where they located what the department described as a crime scene. Inside, officers discovered suspected explosive materials, and the Alameda County Bomb Squad responded to the scene and recovered them, according to the police department's release.
Police arrested a 49-year-old male Emeryville resident in connection with the case. He faces charges that include negligently discharging a firearm, discharging a firearm in a school zone, weapons-related offenses, and possession of a destructive device, the station's report notes.
The department thanked the Oakland Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in the response. Anyone with information was asked to contact Emeryville police at (510) 596-3700 and reference Case No. 2610-0176.
Not the First Bomb Squad Call in Emeryville
This is not the only time an Emeryville call has drawn a bomb squad response. In an earlier incident covered by KTVU, a maintenance worker found a cylindrical suspicious item about 10 inches long, prompting police to call in BART's explosive detection dogs along with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office bomb squad, which used a controlled explosive to eliminate the threat. In that case, the entire complex connected to the item was searched, nothing else suspicious turned up, and previously closed roads reopened.
Gunfire investigations on Adeline Street are also not new to the area. Just under two years ago, a Dec. 19, 2024 shoot-out on Adeline Street in nearby Berkeley saw two men, identified by Berkeley Scanner as Jerome Sanders and Jaelin Castille, fire multiple rounds at each other. That investigation turned up several illegal firearms along with various controlled substances packaged for sale.
Details that remain unverified in this week's Emeryville case include whether the recovered materials were functional explosives, what they were made of, and exactly who fired the shots reported near the school. Police have not released further information on the suspect's booking status or any upcoming court date.
