BERKELEY — An armed man shot April 13 by police responding to a domestic violence incident is the same person arrested last month after activating a stun gun during a protest at a Tesla dealership, according to authorities and court records.
The suspect, Ricardo Gonzalez Ruiz, 33, who was booked at Santa Rita Jail on Tuesday after a lengthy hospital stay, was charged April 18 with 17 felony counts resulting from the April 13 confrontation.
They include one count of assault with a deadly weapon likely to cause great bodily injury on a peace officer, 12 counts of exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer, and four counts of unlawful firearm activity. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
The charges were spelled out in the criminal complaint filed against him. A probable cause declaration, a public document where details of the alleged crimes are contained, was not available Wednesday.
Even though the Tesla incident happened March 22, he was not charged until April 21 with a misdemeanor count of exhibiting a deadly weapon in the case. He was scheduled to appear in court May 8 in that case.
The police shooting happened after officers responded to a call of a woman screaming for help about 6:50 a.m. April 13 inside an apartment building in the 1700 block of University Avenue, where Ruiz resides. Authorities said the woman and Ruiz are acquainted.
Police said previously that officers contacted Ruiz at the residence and said Ruiz threatened to shoot officers and came out of the apartment armed with a gun.
Officers secured the area, evacuated nearby apartments and began negotiating with Ruiz while making sure individuals inside the apartment were safe.
While police were outside the building they could hear shots being fired inside, authorities said.
When Ruiz exited the apartment about 7:40 a.m., armed with an AEA HP SS air gun which fires pellets, he allegedly pointed it at officers and was subsequently shot, authorities said. There was some evidence indicating he actually fired the gun and a shotgun was later recovered in his apartment, they added.
Police said they will release more details of the shooting, including video, in the coming weeks.
Ruiz, who also goes by the name Rick Fuze, was arrested March 22 during a protest by about 175 people at the 4th Street Tesla Dealership in Berkeley . Authorities described him as the lone counterprotester, who approached the crowd on a bicycle.
When several protesters blocked his path he engaged with them, allegedly brandishing a stun gun and activating it. A nearby Berkeley police officer monitoring the protest heard the gun activate and arrested him. No one was struck by the stun gun and Ruiz later claimed he was acting in self defense. He was eventually released from custody pending a review of the case by prosecutors.
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