Photo: confiscated guns (BPD)
BERKELEY— An armed couple was arrested in the predawn hours last Sunday at an idyllic setting with an expansive view of the Golden Gate Bridge, where they were found sleeping inside a car with the motor running.
Their troubles began soon after their slumber was interrupted. A patrol officer was conducting a routine security check in the parking lot at the Berkeley Marina.
When the patrol officer approached the driver’s side window, he saw the sleeping driver, a man holding a pipe—the kind normally used for smoking methamphetamine. Then the officer spotted an open bottle of cognac in plain view inside the car, according to the police report.
The patrolman requested assistance and another officer was quickly dispatched. When the second officer arrived at the marina, both police officers roused the couple and told them to step outside of the parked car.
While the man and woman were exiting the car, one of the officers noticed a pistol lying on the floor by the driver’s seat, which as it turns out was loaded.
Both individuals were immediately handcuffed, but their troubles continued to mount. Next, the officers searched the car and found a second gun concealed inside a gun box on the backseat. That same box also contained a leaded cane, a prohibited weapon associated with martial arts.
The driver, Mamun Saeidah, 31, of Suisun City, and his companion, Corina Tito-Lopez, 25, of Berkeley, were both arrested on January 7.
Saeidah was booked on several weapons charges, possession of drug paraphernalia, probation violation, and driving with a license suspended for two previous DUI arrests.
Tito-Lopez was booked for possession of concealed firearm in a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm. She was previously arrested for a DUI causing bodily injury and driving with a suspended license.
