Man charged in beating death of man found along Oakland freeway offramp

Raul Ramirez-Perez, 22, has also been charged with arson

OAKLAND, Calif. — According to authorities and court records, a 22-year-old man has been charged with murder in the Aug. 1 beating death of another man along an Oakland freeway offramp.

According to court records, the suspect, Raul Ramirez-Perez of Oakland, is also charged with three counts of arson of another’s property for allegedly setting fire to items not far from where the man was killed.

According to court documents, Ramirez-Perez admitted to the murder and setting fires.

Ramirez-Perez, who was arrested on August 17 and charged on Monday, is accused of killing Nathan Kolasa, 47. Kolasa’s address was not listed. Authorities believe the men did not know each other.

Kolasa was discovered dead around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 by firefighters extinguishing a blaze on an embankment near the 18th Street offramp from westbound Interstate 980, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities stated that the fire was started in debris near Kolasa’s body and that he received some burns, but that his death was caused by a beating with a metal pole that occurred prior to the fire.

According to court records, Ramirez-Perez was not charged with arson in the fire that led to the discovery of Kolasa’s body.

According to the documents, the arson fires he is accused of occurred on the same day in the 600 block of 14th Street. It was unclear what was set on fire, but court records indicate it was Waste Management property.

According to the documents, Ramirez-Perez was identified as the suspect through video footage recovered by the CHP during its investigation.

He is being held without bail at the Santa Rita Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.