Truck Driver Arrested for Joyriding a Stolen Bulldozer, Damaging Bayfront Parkland
Photo: Stock Image
A truck driver is in trouble with the law again. Robert E. Jones, a 47-year-old Oakland resident, allegedly went joyriding a stolen bulldozer damaging bayfront parkland. This marks his third arrest in less than six months.
Berkeley PD arrested Jones on May 12 at 3:56 p.m. in Aquatic Park. Officers found Jones at the southern end of the park driving the bulldozer. Jones was booked into Alameda County Santa Rita Jail.
The bulldozer was stolen from Berkeley Commons, a new corporate campus. The light-industrial construction site at 600 Addison Street and Boliver Drive faces the park. It is near a children’s playground.
Jones allegedly smashed through a gate at Berkeley Commons. Bulldozer tracks and park destruction extend southward about a mile to where Jones was taken into custody.
A large area of parkland was plowed, damaging trees, and other vegetation. Park pathways and an irrigation system were also damaged. A witness reported seeing a suspicious man driving the bulldozer, knocking over signs and trash bins. The man was honking at parkgoers during this destructive spectacle.
Jones is charged with unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle and vandalism. He is already subject to supervision of the Alameda County Probation Department, resulting from a prior conviction.
In addition to his latest arrest, BART police arrested Jones on May 1 for fare evasion. Oakland police arrested him in December 2023 for receiving stolen property—a motor vehicle.
