Man who allegedly opened fire on Oakland cop is arrested

Lt. Roland Holmgren head of Oakland Police homicide unit, briefs reporters Thursday morning on the arrest of a man accused of shooting at an Oakland Police sergeant. Lt. Roland Holmgren head of Oakland Police homicide unit, briefs reporters Thursday morning on the arrest of a man accused of shooting at an Oakland Police sergeant. Photo: Evan Sernoffksy / The Chronicle / / Photo: Evan Sernoffksy / The Chronicle / / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man who allegedly opened fire on Oakland cop is arrested 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A gunman arrested Thursday for opening fire on an Oakland police sergeant told investigators he was emboldened by recent violence against law enforcement officers as tensions have increased nationwide over issues of race and policing, officials said.

The man, an Oakland resident who was not immediately named, “made statements” that he targeted Sgt. Nadia Clark solely because she was a police sergeant in uniform, said Lt. Roland Holmgren, head of the Oakland Police Department homicide unit.

Police in Oakland have been riding in pairs since five officers were shot and killed in Dallas on July 7, during what started as a peaceful protest. Oakland police supervisors like Clark still drive alone while on patrol.

The attack happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday when Clark, a member of the police force since 2006, crashed while responding to a call in the 1900 block of 73rd Street in East Oakland.

Shortly after the wreck, the gunman approached Clark, opened fire on her patrol sport utility vehicle and fled. The sergeant, who was trapped inside the vehicle when the airbag deployed, was not struck by the gunfire, but was taken to Highland Hospital, where she was treated for injuries from the crash.

“She was dazed and helpless,” said Holmgren, who announced the arrest at a news conference at Oakland police headquarters. “Like a coward, he fired on her.”

The suspect, who did not know the sergeant and was not involved in the crash, was arrested just after 4 a.m. Thursday following a standoff in which he barricaded himself in a home in Stockton. Police ultimately arrested him and recovered a firearm “consistent with” the gun that was used to shoot at the officer, Holmgren said.

The suspect was brought back to Oakland, where detectives interrogated him at police headquarters.

Holmgren said the suspect made statements that the shooting was the result of anger he harbored toward police.

The attack comes amid rising tensions between police and some of the communities they are assigned to protect. Ten days after the five officers were slain in Dallas, a gunman shot six officers, killing three, in Baton Rouge, La.

The suspects in both cases appeared to be motivated in part by two recent killings of African American men by police that were caught on video, inspiring nationwide protests that have remained largely nonviolent, with protestors condemning the killings of officers.

President Obama addressed the national divide Wednesday night during his speech at the Democratic National Convention.

He said, “we can work through racial divides in this country when we realize the worry black parents feel when their son leaves the house isn’t so different than what a brave cop’s family feels when he puts on the blue and goes to work.”

Clark has released from the hospital and is recovering from minor injuries suffered in the crash, police said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky