Door Kick-in, Police Dog Arrest in Burglary Drama During Lockdown of Madera School

By Laura Dixon, Bay City News Service

Three Bay Area men were arrested in connection with a home burglary in El Cerrito that prompted the lockdown of a nearby elementary school on Thursday, police said.

Around 10:25 a.m., a resident in the 1300 block of Devonshire Drive called 911 to report that three men were attempting to kick in the door of his neighbor's house.

As officers arrived at the scene and set up a perimeter around the area, the three suspects got in a rental car and drove away.

Police said officers followed the car into a roundabout in the 1500 block of Devonshire Drive, where the suspects stopped and fled on foot.

Officers searched for the three suspects with the help of Kensington police and a K-9 unit from the San Pablo Police Department.

Meanwhile, police placed nearby Madera Elementary School, at 8500 Madera Drive, on lockdown as a precaution.

Police said one of the suspects, identified as 21-year-old Anthony Branch, of Pinole, surrendered to police before the K-9 search.

The police dog nabbed a second suspect, 20-year-old Keyon Wilson, of Vacaville, during a search of a backyard in the area, according to police.

An El Cerrito police officer apprehended the third suspect, identified as Richmond resident Tyree Williams-Gomez, police said.

All three were arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to county jail in Martinez.

Property stolen from the home on Devonshire Drive and located in the suspects' getaway car was returned to the homeowner, and the school lockdown was lifted a short time before 11:40 a.m., according to police.