Man charged in Alameda robbery-shooting

ALAMEDA — Six criminal charges have been filed against a man who allegedly set up a person to be robbed and then shot a Good Samaritan who intervened Saturday at the South Shore Center shopping complex, according to authorities and court records.

The suspect, 18-year-old Khalid Nelson of Vallejo, was charged Monday with felony counts of assault with an assault weapon or machine gun, second degree robbery, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, carrying a loaded firearm in public and carrying a concealed firearm on the person and a misdemeanor count of wearing a mask to evade identification in the commission of a crime.

He is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail at Santa Rita Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.

The violent confrontation happened about 1:15 p.m. Saturday in a parking lot outside a department store in the South Shore Center.

According to police, Nelson allegedly arranged to meet with another man via social media on the pretense of purchasing a diamond ring from the man for $5,500, according to court records.

While the potential seller was standing outside his vehicle, a masked Nelson ran up to him, demanded the ring and searched his pockets and vehicle, the records say.

The victim walked away and tried to get help before Nelson ran up to him again and tried to search his pockets again. The man then wrestled Nelson to the ground where Nelson pulled a pistol, the records say.

A man police described as “truly a Good Samaritan,” intervened after seeing what was happening, police said.

As all three struggled, the Good Samaritan was shot in the leg but was still able to hold Nelson down until officers arrived within a minute of the shooting, police said. Another bystander was able to grab the gun before police arrived, the records say.

Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, whose office filed the charges, said in a news release “I am grateful that the Good Samaritan received prompt medical treatment and will recover.”

According to the court records, the .40 caliber pistol recovered was not registered to Nelson and had a device that converted it from semi-automatic to fully automatic.