Full Notification

  The Berkeley Police Robbery Detail is investigating a series of 4 robberies and 1 grand-theft-person which occurred between February 3^rd and February 6^th.  These crimes appear to be targeting café patrons who are working on their laptops.    

The first robbery occurred on Friday, February 3, 2017 at 10:35am, at a café on the 1700 block of Solano Avenue.  Three suspects were involved.  They fled in a sedan that was parked nearby.  Two patrons had their laptops stolen.
 
The suspects were described by the victims as:
Suspect 1:  BM, 16-22, 5’10”-6’01”, Thin Build, Short Hair
Suspect 2:  BM, 16-29, 5’9”-5’11”, Medium Build, Short Blk Hair, Dark Complexion
Suspect 3:  BM, 16-22, 5’11”, Thin Build
           
The second robbery occurred on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 8:13pm, at a café on the 2600 block of College Avenue.  Two suspects were involved.  A patron’s laptop and cell phone from a patron was stolen.  One suspect was armed with a handgun.  They fled in a waiting car (no further description).
 
The suspects were described by the victim as:
            Suspect 1:  BM, 16-20, 5’10”-6’00”
            Suspect 2:  BM, 16-20, 5’10”-6’00”
 
The third robbery occurred on Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 8:45pm, when 3 suspects entered a café on the 2900 block of College Avenue.  Several laptops were stolen.  One suspect was armed with a handgun.  All three were last seen running westbound on Ashby Avenue.

The suspects were described by the victims/witnesses as:
Suspect 1:  BM, 16-25, 5’8-5’10”, Medium Build.
Suspect 2:  BM, 16-25, 5’8”-5’10”, Short Hair, Thin.
Suspect 3:  BM, 20-25, 5’10”-6’00”, Thin Build.

The fourth robbery occurred on Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 8:50pm, at a cafe on the 2700 block of College Avenue.  Two suspects were involved.  One was armed with a handgun.  A patron’s laptop was stolen.  Both suspects fled in a waiting car.

The suspects were described as:
Suspect 1:  BMA, 20-26 yrs old, 5'08-6'0", Medium/Athletic Build
Suspect 2:  BMA, early 20's, 5'08-5'10", Athletic Build, Short Hair

The fifth crime (theft as no force or fear used) occurred on Monday, February 6, 2017 at 2:47pm at a café on the 2900 block of College Avenue.  Two juvenile suspects were involved.  A patron’s laptop was stolen.   The suspects fled in an unknown direction. 
 
Suspect 1:  BMJ, 16 yrs, 5’8”
Suspect 2:  BMJ, 16 yrs
 
Detectives are working to determine which of these cases are related and are examining surveillance video. 
 
The Berkeley Police Department would like to offer the following crime prevention tips as they relate to this series:
 

• If you see suspicious behavior call BPD at (510) 981-5911 from your cellphone
• Be aware of your surroundings
• When in public places (like cafés and restaurants) keep your personal effects close to you
• Don’t struggle with the criminals over property (the injury isn’t worth the loss)
• Remember to back up your computer to either cloud based storage or an external hard drive
• Consider purchasing tracking software for your computer