Fifth bakery member arrested in kidnapping case

By Jeff Shuttleworth

October 17, 2007

A fifth associate of Your Black Muslim Bakery was arrested today on kidnapping, torture and false imprisonment charges stemming from an incident involving two women in Oakland on May 17, according to Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Scott Patton.

Patton, who declined to disclose the suspect's name because he hasn't been charged yet, said the man was arrested at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse, which is across the street from Oakland police headquarters, this morning when he appeared in court for an unrelated case.

Oakland police spokesman Roland Holmgren identified the suspect as Richard Lewis.

Patton said the suspect is charged with using false identification in the other case, had failed to appear in court Oct. 3 and received a notice to appear today, when Oakland police were waiting for him in court.

According to prosecutors and Oakland police, the suspects in the case allegedly kidnapped a mother and daughter as the women drove home from a bingo hall in East Oakland.

The suspects pretended to be police officers and used flashing lights on their car, a decommissioned police cruiser, to get the women to pull over, according to a declaration filed in court by Oakland police Officer Jesse Grant.

The women were driven to an abandoned home in Oakland where the daughter was assaulted.

The suspects fled when an Oakland police officer saw the modified car and heard the daughter's screams. The officer then rescued the women.

On Aug. 7, four days after Oakland police and other agencies conducted a massive raid at Your Black Muslim Bakery headquarters in Oakland, prosecutors charged bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV, 21, and associates Joshua Bey, 20, and Tamon Halfin, 21, with seven felony counts.

Last week, prosecutors filed identical charges against a fourth defendant, Yusuf Bey V, the half brother of Yusuf Bey IV and Joshua Bey. The three Bey half-brothers were all fathered by bakery founder Yusuf Bey, who died in 2003 while awaiting trial on child molestation charges, but have different mothers.

If they're convicted, the suspects face life in prison without the possibility of parole for a charge of aggravated kidnapping for ransom and extortion and an additional term of life with the possibility of parole for kidnapping to commit robbery.

Patton said he expects the fifth suspect in the case to be charged and arraigned Friday.

He said the fifth suspect's case will be consolidated with the case against the other four defendants, who are scheduled to return to court Nov. 6 to have their preliminary hearing date set.

Yusuf Bey IV, Joshua Bey and Halfin have all pleaded not guilty.

Yusuf Bey V is scheduled to enter a plea Nov. 6. Patton said an enhancement clause was filed against Yusuf Bey IV on Tuesday accusing him of using a knife during the May 17 incident.

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