This is a partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley prepared by the Berkeley Police Department. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
Friday, July 22
Grand Theft – 200 block of Hillcrest Road
A Danville woman called to report theft from an unsecured garage in the 200 block of Hillcrest Road between December 2010 and January 2011. A Berkeley family member had passed away in December and she stored some items in the garage of that home for the time being. She called BPD on July 22, 2011 at about 1:56 p.m., to document the theft as she discovered that 5 oriental rugs valued at approximately $10,000 were gone as well as a wedding ring. The theft occurred sometime in January she believes. She required a police report number to file an insurance claim. No suspects and no leads in the case.
Sunday, July 24
Auto Burglary – 1100 Block of University Avenue
A Berkeley man parked his 2000 Honda Accord on Sunday, in the 1100 block of University Avenue near his home. It was about 11:00 p.m. and he had locked all the car doors. He went out to his car on Monday morning, to find that the rear passenger side window was smashed out and his Pioneer brand car stereo stolen was gone from the dash. The unknown suspect or suspects also stole change from his center console in addition to a pair of sunglasses.
Tuesday, July 26
Burglary to Business – 600 Block of Page Street
An employee of a computer business showed up for work at about 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, to find that the property had been broken into. Sometime overnight, an unknown suspect or suspects cut the lock to a gate and entered the lot of a business. The suspect then pushed in the acrylic glass window of a storage shed and attempted to reach in through some bars to steal items. The suspect was unable to steal anything.
Wednesday, July 27
Auto Burglary – 2900 Block of Pine Street
A Berkeley woman parked and locked her 1999 Subaru Legacy near her home at about 10:30 p.m., on Wednesday. When she went to get into the car the next morning at 7:54 a.m. on Thursday, she saw that the front passenger window had been smashed out and her nylon-insulated lunch bag with a CD inside, other CDs and a personal calendar book had been stolen.
Auto Burglary – 2800 Block of Russell Street
A Berkeley couple parked and locked their 1998 Jeep in the 2800 block of Russell Street near their home on Wednesday night. When they went to use the car on Thursday morning at about 8:45 a.m., they saw that the passenger-side window was smashed and two backpacks with personal belonging were gone.
Identity Theft/ Fraud – 1900 block of Yolo Avenue
A Berkeley woman called BPD at 10:13 a.m. on Wednesday to make a police report. She told the BPD officer that she had received a letter in the mail from Sears stating there had been a recent request to open an account with them but it was denied. She then learned that that accounts had been opened at Lowe’s and Wal-Mart using her name and address but she had not authorized any such thing. On the day the suspect opened the Lowe’s account, she told the BPD officer, the suspect charged $3,305.28. The BPD officer provided her ID Theft guidance and prevention advice and advised her to register her name as a victim at the Federal Trade Commission site.
Thursday, July 28
Arson to Clothing and Mattress – 1300 block of Rose Street & Hopkins and Cornell
An unidentified suspect or suspects set fire to a bag of clothing in front of a home in the 1300 block of Rose Street. A Berkeley man was driving home on Thursday at approximately 12:10 p.m. in that area when he saw the bag in flames. He then continued driving and noted a mattress on fire at Hopkins and Cornell. He called 911. Both small fires appeared to be deliberately set. No structures or any other property had been damaged. BFD personnel arrived and extinguished the fires quickly. The BPD case officer performed an area check for any other possible unreported fires, but did not find any. The CSI took photographs and examined the scene for any evidence.
Burglary to Business – 2900 Block of College Avenue
BPD officers responded to an alarm call at about 3:00 a.m. at a business in the Elmwood Commercial district Thursday morning. When they arrived, they found the front window of the shop smashed and a concrete slab on the floor inside. The unknown suspect or suspects took the two computer monitors and cash register from the business.
Robbery — 2500 Block of Durant Avenue
On Thursday at 12:07 a.m., UCPD received a report of a robbery which had just occurred on the 2500 block of Durant near the Durant Avenue Food Court. The victim, a 21-year old Cal student, was
approached by three male suspects. Suspect #1 demanded the victim’s property. The victim complied and gave the suspect his wallet and keys. The suspect and his two companions fled the scene running eastbound on Durant Avenue and then south on Bowditch Street. The victim was not
injured during the encounter. UCPD searched the area but was not able to locate the suspect.
The suspects were described as: Suspect #1 – A Black male in his late teens early twenties, wearing a backward blue baseball cap, a long white T-shirt that went down nearly to his knees and dark pants. Suspect #2 – A Black male, wearing a dark sweatshirt. Suspect #3 – A White male, no further description.
