Full Notification

Every month, there are over 300 crimes (UCR Part 1 crimes) occurring in the City of Berkeley.  Below are some of those cases that have occurred over the past few days that involve weapons, violence or incidents that people have asked us about.
 
Information about those arrested (juveniles excluded) can be found by visiting the City’s Open Data Portal using the associated case number:
https://data.cityofberkeley.info/Public-Safety/Berkeley-PD-Log-Jail-Bookings/7ykt-c32j
 
 
Robbery near Willard Park
On March 13^th at 2:15 pm, a woman (age 75) was walking on Regent Street (near Derby Street) when two suspects approached her from behind and grabbed the purse from the woman’s shoulder.  The suspects ran away to a white or gray sedan and drove off.  Witnesses described the suspects as two unknown race men, about 5’10” tall that were “fit” looking.
Case 2019-00013389
 
 
Car Stop leads to the arrest of a felon with a handgun
On March 13^th at about 2:45 pm, officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop on a vehicle at Second Street and Hearst Avenue.  When officers contacted the driver, they found that his license was suspended and believed that he may have been impaired.  When officers searched the vehicle and its two occupants (driver and passenger), they discovered 5.67 grams of cocaine (roughly 56 doses), 0.31 grams of heroin and a loaded handgun.  The driver (a 57 year old male, no address provided) was arrested on suspicion of multiple drug and weapons violations. The passenger (a 54 year old woman, no address provided) was arrested for an outstanding arrest warrant.               
Case 2019-00013378
 
 
Laptop Thefts
On March 11^th at 10:15 pm, a man (age 46) was waiting at a bus stop on the 2800 block of Sacramento Street when a vehicle stopped nearby.  The vehicle’s passenger motioned for the man to come over to help them with some directions.  The man walked over to the car—leaving his backpack that contained his laptop at the bus stop.  After spending the next few minutes giving directions, the man returned to the bus stop and saw that his backpack was gone.
Case 2019-00090589
 
On March 13^th at about 4:30 pm, a woman (age 22) was seated at one of the tables at the Downtown BART plaza with her laptop on the table.  While there, a suspect ran up from behind the woman and grabbed her laptop. Witnesses described the suspect as a Hispanic male, wearing a gray colored hooded sweatshirt and dark colored jeans.
Case 2019-00013402
 
On March 13^th at 9:30 pm, a man (age 22) left his backpack (containing his laptop) in the patio area of La Mission Restaurant (1255 University Avenue).  When the man returned 30 minutes later, the backpack was gone.
Case 2019-00090595
 
On March 14^th at 2:50 pm, a woman (age 29) was seated outside of the Rasa Caffe (3140 Martin Luther King Jr Way) typing on her laptop.  While there, a suspect ran up to the woman and grabbed her laptop.  The suspect then ran to nearby vehicle and drove off.  Witnesses described the suspect as a Black male, 30 to 35 years old, 5’8” tall, with short black hair and wearing a dark colored jacket.
Case 2019-00013616
 
 
Cell Phone Theft
On March 15^th at 3:19 pm, a woman (age 21) was seated on a bench on Shattuck Avenue (near Oregon Street) using her cell phone.  While there, a suspect ran up to the woman and grabbed her cell phone from her hands.  The suspect ran away to a black sedan and drove off.  Witnesses described the suspect as a Black male, about 20 years old, with a thin build and short dark hair.
Case 2019-00013833
 
 
Man arrested after smashing windows with a Hammer
On March 15^th at about 9 pm, officers responded to the area of Milvia Street and Parker Street after receiving multiple calls about a suspect who was smashing windows in the area.  Based on the description given by the callers, officers quickly located the suspect in Civic Center Park—where he was detained without incident.  When officers searched the man, they found a hammer as well as a glass pipe (commonly used to smoke methamphetamine).  During the investigation, officers determined that the suspect had broken the window of a residence on the 2600 block of Milvia Street as well as the window of a car parked on the 1900 block of Blake Street (no prosecution requested).  The suspect (a 37 year old man—no address provided) was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, violation of probation and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Case 2019-00013928
 
 
Ashby BART Robbery
On March 15^th at 9:20 pm, a woman (age 36) was walking out of the Ashby BART station using her cell phone when a male suspect grabbed it from her hands and ran away.  When the woman chased after the suspect, the suspect accidentally dropped the phone.  When the woman tried to pick the phone up, the suspect pushed her out of the way so that he could get it first.
 
While Berkeley PD officers were later speaking with the woman, witnesses approached the officers and told them that the suspect was now in the area of Stuart Street and Adeline Street along with several other teens that the suspect had been attempting robberies with earlier.  Officers quickly responded to the location and spotted the group of suspects—who all ran away in different directions.  After a search of the area, officers arrested the four suspects (four 16 year old males from Hayward, CA) on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy.
Case 2019-00013933
 
 
Suspect arrested after a Burglary in South Berkeley
On March 16^th between 9:30 am and 5 pm, a suspect broke into a home on the 1600 block of Russell Street while the residents were away—taking a laptop computer among other items.  Because the stolen laptop still had its tracking software active, officers were able to track the laptop to a residence on the 1000 block of Virginia Street.  After further investigation, officers located the suspect about a block away.  While speaking with the suspect, officers learned that he was on parole and had some methamphetamine in hidden in his wallet.  The suspect (a 48 year old Berkeley man) was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and violation of parole.
Case 2019-00014126
 
 
Suspect arrested after kicking a police officer
On March 17^th at 10:44 am, officers responded to the Hotel Shattuck (2086 Allston Way) on a report that a suspect was inside one of the restrooms and had refused to leave.  When staff had earlier asked the suspect to leave, the suspect instead splashed water in staff person’s face.  When officers attempted to detain the suspect, the suspect kicked one of the officers in the groin twice.  The suspect (a 32 year old woman, no address provided) was arrested on suspicion of battery, trespassing and violence on a police officer.
Case 2019-00014240
 
 
Elmwood Neighborhood Robberies
On March 15^th at about 3:30 pm, a boy (age 15) was walking in the area of Woolsey Street and College Avenue when a black sedan stopped in the road next to him.  Three suspects got out of the sedan and demanded the boy’s property.  The suspects reached in the boy’s pockets, took the boy’s cell phone and then drove away.
Suspect #1: Black male, 17-20 years old, 5’10” tall, thin/medium build, short black hair, wearing a gray jumpsuit.
Suspect #2: similar description except that he had darker skin and was wearing black jeans.
Suspect #3: similar description except that he had a medium build.
Case 2019-00013842
 
On March 16^th at 3:27 am, a woman (age 21) was walking on the 2800 block of Benvenue Avenue when a white sedan drove up and abruptly stopped by her.  Three suspects got out of the sedan, ran over to the woman and knocked her to the ground.  The suspects tried to take the woman’s purse and repeatedly punched her.  When another vehicle drove down the street, the suspects ran back to sedan and drove off.  Although the woman was able to hold onto her purse, the suspects were able to take her cell phone from inside of the purse.  Witnesses described one of the suspects as an unknown race male wearing a white sweater and dark colored jeans.
Case 2019-00014002
 
 
A familiar theme among many of these incidents is the theft of personal electronic devices.  When travelling with your personal electronic device—such as a cell phone or laptop, consider keeping it out of sight when possible.  If you see something that you think is suspicious, be sure to say something by notifying the nearest police agency.