OAKLAND — A 57-year-old man has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and robbing a librarian who was leaving her job a short distance from Lake Merritt, court records show.
Clive Bryan, of Oakland, has been charged with kidnapping and second-degree robbery in connection with the Oct. 21 incident. Bryan was arrested last week, and denied being in the area where the incident occurred, according to Oakland police.
The victim, a librarian at Lakeview Library, told police she was at a bus stop near the library when a man approached her and sat down on the bench. He allegedly referred to her as his “white master” and made lewd comments, then told her he had a knife and that he’d kill her in front of whoever was present if she didn’t comply.
The woman said she never saw a knife but that the man had his hand in his jacket and acted like he had one, authorities said. She complied with his demands, walking a short distance to a nearby bank and withdrawing several hundred dollars in cash for him, authorities said.
The robber then allegedly walked her back to the bus stop and stayed till she got onto a bus and left, authorities said. Detectives seized video from the bank and sent it around to other officers, one of whom recognized Bryan, according to court records.
Bryan was arrested on Dec. 3. During a police interview he allegedly denied having been in that neighborhood for years, though he said he was living out of his van and stayed in various parts of town. He denied knowing the woman, but did identify himself from the bank video footage, before walking back the comment, stating that his vision is poor, and requesting a lawyer, authorities said.
A judge set Bryan’s bail to $150,000. He remains at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin with a court hearing set for later this week. Bryan’s lawyer has requested a judge to lower bail or release him, court records show. Bryan has not yet entered a plea.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com