Berkeley Police Department’s Public Information Officer Andrew Frankel emailed neighborhood crime prevention leaders with a report on last night’s violence on Telegraph Avenue, near the university (sent to Berkeleyside by Laura Menard):
Here is what I can share with regard to last night’s events:
At 1:41a.m. we responded to a request for emergency assistance made to us by UCPD Dispatch. They were monitoring approximately 200 protesters who had occupied a building on campus and now were moving into the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way. UCPD Dispatch further advised that the protesters were smashing windows and knocking over garbage cans as they moved Southbound. Officers arrived on scene minutes later and were pelted intermittently with projectiles launched at them from the crowd (rocks, bottles, a fire extinguisher, and the cap from a fire hydrant).
The rioters set a dumpster on fire in the intersection of Durant and Telegraph Avenue. The officers formed a line and had to push the crowd back so that Berkeley Fire Department could extinguish the flames.
To deal with a crowd of this size, day shift patrol officers were called in early and a request for mutual assistance went out to Oakland Police Department (sent 19 officers), California Highway Patrol (sent 10 officers), BART Police Department (sent 5 officers), the Alameda County Sherriff’s Office (two units), and the Albany Police Department.
The crowd was moved out of the area and finally dissipated at 3:06 a.m. with officers remaining in the area until 4:15 a.m.
At this point property damage is limited to broken glass doors at a business on the 2300 block of Telegraph (Subway) and four garbage cans and a dumpster were set ablaze.
Two arrests were made in connection with the riot. The arrested parties have been identified as:
1. Marika Goodrich, 3-2-81, of Berkeley
Booked for Inciting a Riot, Resisting Arrest, and Assault on Police Officer
2. Zachary Miller, 6-5-83, of Berkeley
Booked for Inciting a Riot, Resisting, Arrest, and Obstructing a Police Officer
During the course of the incident two officers received minor injuries but none required medical treatment.
As a result of this riot there are several on-going investigations. I don’t anticipate having anything else further to share until Monday.