Alameda County SWAT team surrounded a home owned by a member of the Hells Angels in Oakland Tuesday night during a search for a pair of murder suspects that turned into a brief standoff.Alameda County sheriff's deputies and Oakland police remained on the scene late into the evening after spending hours looking for two murder suspects and searching the home of a Hell Angels member who was briefly detained by officers.
The home is located at 60th Street and MacArthur Boulevard near Seminary in East Oakland.At around 5:30 p.m., deputies were searching various neighborhoods for a man closely tied to two murder suspects was seen in the East Oakland neighborhood, according to department Sgt. J.D. Nelson.When the deputies arrived in front of the home on MacArthur, they found the man they were looking for -- 24-year-old parolee Colt Gazzaway -- standing outside. When they tried to arrest Gazzaway, deputies say he tried to run but they were able to catch him."Sheriff's investigators upon arrest of Mr. Gazzaway developed information that he had been in and out of that home the last few days, which is why they made entry into that house," explained Sgt. Nelson.
Oakland police entered the home to search for murder suspects Aaron Hammond and Ben Eddleman, both 33-years-old.Arrest warrants were issued last Thursday for the two men who are suspected in a fatal shooting in unincorporated San Leandro Wednesday night, according to the Alameda Sheriff's Office.Sheriff's deputies responded around 6 p.m. to a report of shots fired at a home in the 1500 block of 167th Avenue and found a 54-year-old man suffering from a single gunshot wound. The victim died at the scene.Homicide investigators Thursday obtained arrest warrants for Hammond and Eddleman. Investigators believe Eddleman may have fled in a black Honda Accord and Hammond may have fled in a red sport utility vehicle.Eddleman is 5 feet 11 inches, 220 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He may have also been shot Wednesday night. Hammond is 5 feet 4 inches, 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Neighbors told deputies that Gazzaway had been seen in the home before Tuesday and the sheriff's office believed Hammond and Eddleman, both 33, may have been inside.
Law enforcement officers were out in force as they searched for the men in the surrounding area, but authorities came up empty handed as of late Tuesday evening.
They did detain the owner of the home, Edward Proudfoot, who is a member of the Hell's Angels.Proudfoot's attorney Portia Glassman said her client did nothing wrong and that law enforcement had no reason to invade hiss home while he was trying to quietly celebrate his 65th birthday.The attorney says she suspects Proudfoot is being targeted because of his affiliation with the Hells Angels."This is devastating to enter someone's house this way and detain them for something they're not accused of doing and to shoot their dog," said Glassman. "It's horrible."
Many Hells Angels including the president of the Oakland chapter arrived at the scene to support proudfoot.Proudfoot was detained for aiding and abetting a fugitive, but his attorney said he was later released without charges.
The two murder suspects are still at large. Gazzaway is being held for violation of his parole. At around 10:30 p.m., Nelson said the warrant had been signed by a judge and a search was being conducted. At that time, he said no other arrests had been made since Gazzaway's.
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