Berkeleyside blotter: Crime in Berkeley, Dec. 25-31

Selected calls to the Berkeley Police, via CrimeMapping.com. Scroll down for detailed maps. Click the map above for the list. See the map key here.

This is an overview of recent crime in Berkeley, exclusively compiled by Berkeleyside, and based on reports to the Berkeley Police Department unless otherwise noted. The following items represent a sampling of calls, and times may be approximate.

From Dec. 25-31, there were reports of 27 burglaries, 32 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles, 18 stolen vehicles and 11 disturbances, according to CrimeMapping.com. Two robberies, nine assaults or batteries, no weapon-related calls and no sexual assaults were reported. Significant incidents from the University of California Police Department (UCPD) included one arson and one robbery. These numbers are subject to change. Click the links above for the latest numbers.

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Thursday, Dec. 25

Two vehicles were stolen, at 12:50 a.m. in the 1800 block of West Street, and at 3 p.m. at Fifth and Camelia streets.

There were two home burglaries, at 6:10 a.m. in the 2300 block of Parker Street, and at 7:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of McKinley Avenue.

There were four disturbance calls: at noon in the 1400 block of Eighth Street; at 1:17 p.m. in the 2600 block of Telegraph Avenue; at 5:30 p.m. in the 2500 block of Haste Street; and at 6:21 p.m. in the 1200 block of Allston Way.

There was a commercial burglary at 4:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Overlook Road.

There was a felony assault or battery at 11:05 p.m. at Fourth Street and Hearst Avenue.

There were 27 burglaries (shown in black) reported over this period, via CrimeMapping.com. The prior week there were 24. There were also two robberies (in blue), following seven the prior week. Click the map for a list of both.

Friday, Dec. 26

There were three commercial burglaries: at 1:57 a.m. in the 1300 block of San Pablo Avenue; at 3:37 a.m. in the 1400 block of San Pablo; and at 3:49 a.m. in the 1400 block of San Pablo.

There were three disturbance calls: at 6 a.m. in the 2500 block of Warring Street; at 9 a.m. in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way; and at 9:20 p.m. in the 2500 block of Fulton Street.

A vehicle was stolen at 6 a.m. in the 1100 block of Bancroft Way.

There were two home burglaries, at 6 a.m. in the 2400 block of Virginia Street, and at 8:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of Grant Street.

There was a robbery at 1 p.m. at Hearst Avenue and Fourth Street.

From the BART Police: An officer detained a man for creating a disturbance on the downtown Berkeley BART platform at 10:31 p.m. The officer found the man to be too intoxicated to care for himself, and arrested him on suspicion of public intoxication. Police discovered that the man also had a $5,000 misdemeanor theft warrant in San Bruno for his arrest. Police booked the man into county jail in connection with both issues.

Saturday, Dec. 27

There were five vehicles stolen: at 7:10 a.m. in the 1300 block of Virginia Street; at 2 p.m. in the 2200 block of Fifth Street; at 5 p.m. in the 900 block of Keeler Avenue; at 6 p.m. in the 1300 block of Rose Street; and at 9:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Alcatraz Avenue.

There were two home burglaries, at 11 a.m. in the 2200 block of McGee Avenue, and at 1 p.m. in the 1700 block of Francisco Street.

Shown above: assaults or batteries, weapon calls, sexual assaults, arsons and disturbances. Click the image for a list. Source: Crimemapping.com

Sunday, Dec. 28

Three vehicles were stolen: at midnight in the 2600 block of Fulton Street; at 4:20 a.m. in the 2400 block of Warring Street; and at 8:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Hopkins Street.

There was a disturbance at 2:52 a.m. at University Avenue and Sixth Street.

There were three home burglaries: at noon in the 200 block of Crystal Way; at 4:18 p.m. in the 2300 block of Dwight Way; and at 7:35 p.m. in the 1800 block of Woolsey Street. Police arrested Eldridge Thomas, 31, and Robin Vongphacanh, 26, on suspicion of second-degree burglary in connection with the Dwight Way incident.

From the BART Police: A patron reported that a silver 2004 Toyota Tacoma was burglarized while parked at the North Berkeley BART station between noon Dec. 23 and 10:50 p.m. Dec. 28. A thief smashed the left rear window to gain entry and stole several items of clothing.

There was a robbery at 11 p.m. in the 2000 block of Allston Way.

Monday, Dec. 29

A vehicle was stolen at 10 a.m. in the 1000 block of Sterling Avenue.

UCPD received an arson call at 1:02 p.m. at Rochdale Village.

There was a disturbance at 1:18 p.m. in the 1000 block of Delaware Street.

There was a commercial burglary at 7 p.m. in the 200 block of University Avenue.

Four homes were burglarized: at 7 p.m. in the 2000 block of Woolsey Street; at 8 p.m. in the 3000 block of King Street; at 9 p.m. in the 2600 block of Benvenue Avenue; and at 11 p.m. in the 2700 block of Hearst Avenue.

A man identified as 36-year-old Kamahl Middleton of El Sobrante was shot to death at 9:44 p.m. in the 1900 block of San Pablo Avenue. A 28-year-old woman who was with him was also shot, but was expected to survive.

There were 32 thefts or burglaries from vehicles reported on CrimeMapping. There were 35 the prior week. There were also 18 vehicles stolen (in purple). Click the map for a list of incidents.

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Four homes were burglarized: at 12:01 a.m. in the 2200 block of Haste Street; at 2 a.m. in the 3000 block of Wheeler Street; at 7 a.m. in the 2500 block of Ellsworth Street; and at 1:30 p.m. in the 400 block of Roanoke Road.

There was a felony assault or battery at 5:30 a.m. at Gilman Street and West Frontage Road.

Five vehicles were stolen: at 9:54 a.m. in the 2000 block of Oregon Street; at 2 p.m. in the 1400 block of Blake Street; at 2 p.m. in the 1400 block of Allston Way; at 7 p.m. in the 2400 block of Ninth Street; and at 10 p.m. in the 1100 block of Bancroft Way.

There were three commercial burglaries: at 5 p.m. in the 2900 block of College Avenue; at 5:34 p.m. in the 1200 block of Fifth Street; and at 6 p.m. in the 1400 block of Queens Road.

Wednesday, Dec. 31

Police arrested Edward Cooper, 28, on suspicion of second-degree burglary in connection with a theft from a vehicle at 8:31 a.m. in the 1900 block of Eighth Street.

There were two disturbance calls, at 11 a.m. in the 2000 block of Kittredge Street, and at 12:11 p.m. in the 2500 block of Durant Avenue.

Police arrested Joshua Marshall, 28, on suspicion of parole violation at 11:19 a.m.

A vehicle was stolen at noon in the 1900 block of Haste Street.

UCPD received a robbery call at 3:53 p.m. in People’s Park.

There were two home burglaries, at 8 p.m. in the 1800 block of Arch Street, and at 9 p.m. in the 1700 block of Spruce Street.

Other recent incidents

Readers asked Berkeleyside about what sounded like gunshots in North Berkeley on Sunday, Jan. 3. Wrote one: “A bunch of my neighbors near NB BART mentioned 3 loud bangs/flashes at about 3:15 this (Sunday) morning.” Wrote another: “Did anyone hear gunshots in North Berkeley last night around 3:20? Near Cedar and Sacramento.” Officer Byron White, a Berkeley Police spokesman, said the department also received calls from curious residents. He said via email: “Officers responded to the area to investigate, and did not find any injured parties, etc. However the handling officer did speak to one caller on the 1300 block of Delaware Street who told us that it was a power transformer that blew near their house. That same caller stated that PG&E had been working on the transformer during the past week.”

See the Berkeley Police Department’s crime reports on CrimeMapping.com. See the list of calls to UC Police at Berkeley, which are also posted on CrimeMapping. See also Local Crime News’ regularly published list of arrests of Berkeley residents. Other sources of information on crime in Berkeley include the Police Department’s CrimeView Community and CrimeMapping.com. The Berkeley Police Department also posts “calls for service” spreadsheets — containing more data — online for those who would like to see more. New reports may be added to CrimeMapping in an unpredictable manner, so numbers may increase in the days after this report. This post does not reflect every call. See recent Berkeley crime blotters here.

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Other recent incidents

Emilie Raguso