Staff writers

OAKLAND — A 20-year-old reputed street gang associate exploded in profanity during his arraignment on capital murder charges in an Oakland courtroom, where one of his supporters left chanting “wartime” and another shattered a glass display case with her fist.

Marquise R. Holloway, of Oakland, had no attorney with him when he began screaming and thrashing around inside a courtroom cell as Judge Gregory Syren was halfway through reading the seven-count felony complaint filed against him Tuesday afternoon.

Holloway admitted to police that he fatally shot Emeryville muralist Antonio Ramos, 27, in North Oakland on Sept. 29, but stated that it was an accident, according to an Oakland police probable cause declaration. Holloway denied any involvement in an attempted robbery on Ramos, an allegation that makes him eligible for the death penalty.

He was charged Tuesday with special circumstance murder in the course of an attempted robbery, punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office rarely seeks the death penalty, but when it does it waits to announce its intention until after an eligible defendant’s preliminary hearing.

Holloway was also charged with multiple counts of robbery and attempted robbery for incidents unrelated to the killing, including an unsuccessful holdup in East Oakland that happened less than an hour before Ramos was slain Sept. 29, authorities said.

Law enforcement sources confirmed that the gun Holloway used in the killing of Ramos was a firearm stolen from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. But it is unknown if it was the same gun stolen from an ICE agent’s car in September.

ICE public affairs officer James Schwab said Tuesday that the agency was investigating how one of its own officers’ weapons was stolen from a vehicle on Sept. 13 in San Francisco. He wasn’t able to say whether the weapon was locked up or stored in a safe, or whether the vehicle was personal or government-issue.

Holloway had between five and 10 supporters at Tuesday’s arraignment that started off on a tense note when Holloway refused to confirm his name to the judge. After he began screaming and thrashing around, a bailiff raced in to the arraignment cell to subdue him. Judge Syren continued the arraignment to Monday, referred Holloway to the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office, and denied him bail.

Four of his supporters quickly left the courtroom, led by a woman chanting “wartime.” Another woman punched a framed glass, shattering it. A slew of reporters and videographers chased the women to a bank of elevators in a chaotic scene where some of the women were shouting unintelligible remarks. One cameraman said he heard threats to the media.

Holloway, who according to authorities has a prior robbery conviction as a juvenile, was arrested Friday in Stockton at a relative’s home by U.S. Marshals and is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail. Police said he is associated with the West Oakland gang known as Ghost Town and was described by homicide Lt. Roland Holmgren as “very much a threat to the community.”

Ramos, of Emeryville, was fatally shot in the stomach Sept. 29 while working on a mural in the 3500 block of West Street underneath an Interstate 580 overpass. Police said they have recovered the gun used to kill Ramos.

Lt. Holmgren said Tuesday it appeared that Ramos had taken a break from working on the mural, and was taking pictures of his work.

Holloway allegedly stopped at the mural site and started paying attention to Ramos’ camera equipment and possibly other equipment, sparking a confrontation between the two men that ended in the fatal shooting. Holmgren said the two men did not know each other.

A video surveillance photo of a possible suspect, released by police in October, shows Holloway near the scene, authorities said.

There was an instantaneous response to the photo, helping police with the investigation that was led by Sgt. Richard Vass, eventually leading to Holloway’s identification and arrest, Holmgren said. He said police received phone calls and social media tips, which was “the partnership we needed” to solve the case.

One of the other robberies Holloway is charged with is the gunpoint holdup of a KTOP-TV television crew on Oct. 1 — three days after Ramos was fatally shot. In that holdup, which took place five blocks away from the mural, a video camera worth an estimated $60,000 was taken. He is also charged with robbing another person of a video camera on Oct. 5.

Authorities said cameras seem to be a common theme in the robberies.

Ramos was one of 10 artists working on the Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project. The series of six murals is being produced by ArtEsteem, the art-and-literacy arm of Attitudinal Healing Connection, a West Oakland group that seeks to stop violence by inspiring people with art and education.

City Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney, who represents the district where Ramos was killed, said the timely arrest shows Oakland “means business” in stopping gun violence and serving justice.

For years, some minorities in Oakland believed that their lives didn’t matter to the police and thought street justice and vengeance were the answer, but that sentiment is changing, she said.

“The perception was, ‘Oh, that’s just gang violence, he’s just a dope dealer.’ That’s no longer the case. The community support was crucial in solving this.”

Gibson McElhaney wasn’t aware of the intense altercation after court involving Holloway’s supporters, but noted that Holloway was caught with an illegal firearm and was suspected in other violent crimes.

“There is a day of reckoning and accountability,” Gibson McElhaney said, “and for Mr. Holloway that’s today.”

Staff writer Mike Blasky contributed to this report.