
This overview of recent crime in Berkeley is based on reports to the Berkeley Police unless otherwise noted. Please don’t hesitate to share photos, videos or tips, about breaking news or neighborhood safety issues, via email at crime@berkeleyside.com or on Facebook or Twitter; let us know if you prefer to be anonymous. Don’t assume someone else will alert us — we value your eyes and ears, and you may be the only one to get in touch. We very much want to know about issues of neighborhood concern.
From April 30 to May 6, there were reports of 17 robberies, 20 burglaries, 14 assaults or batteries, three weapon-involved calls and two sexual assaults, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 15 stolen vehicles, 11 disturbances and 33 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. There were no significant reported incidents from the University of California Police Department (UCPD). These numbers are subject to change. Click the links for the latest numbers. The following items represent a sampling of calls, and times may be approximate; incidents that took place during a range of time are listed by the beginning of that time period.
Thursday, April 30
There was a commercial burglary at 3:27 a.m. in the 3000 block of Adeline Street.
Two vehicles were stolen, at 8 a.m. in the 1200 block of Campus Drive, and at 8:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Ashby Avenue.
There were two disturbance calls, at 11:12 a.m. in the 2900 block of Garber Street, and at 8:20 p.m. in the 1900 block of San Pablo Avenue.
There were two robberies, at 11:47 a.m. at Virginia and Acton streets, and at 9:55 p.m. at Dwight Way and Milvia Street.
There was a home burglary at 11:48 a.m. in the 3000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Friday, May 1
There were two “second-response” calls, at 12:13 a.m. in the 2500 block of Piedmont Avenue, and at 10:35 p.m. in the 2600 block of Regent Street.
There were four home burglaries: at 1:20 a.m. in the 2200 block of Browning Street; at 9 a.m. in the 1600 block of Delaware Street; at 10 a.m. in the 1500 block of California Street; and at 7:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Josephine Street.
There were four robberies: at 4:02 a.m. in the 2100 block of Shattuck Avenue; at 4 p.m. in the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue; at 4:30 p.m. in the 2200 block of Bonar Street; and at 6:19 p.m. at Seawall Drive and University Avenue.
Five vehicles were stolen: at 6:30 a.m. at Fourth and Gilman streets; at 9:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Ward Street; at 5 p.m. in the 1600 block of McGee Avenue; at 10 p.m. in the 2200 block of 10th Street; and at 11 p.m. in the 2400 block of Warring Street.
There was a felony sexual assault at 9:45 a.m. in the 2300 block of Bonar Street.
Someone reportedly brandished a weapon at 1:30 p.m. at Delaware and Sacramento streets.
There was a disturbance call at 10:39 p.m. at Harmon and Adeline streets.
Saturday, May 2
There were two felony assaults or batteries, at 1:39 a.m. in the 2300 block of Telegraph, and at 3 a.m. in the 1600 block of Franklin Street. Two panhandlers were arrested in the first incident after police say they stabbed two people leaving a bar. Read more on Berkeleyside.
There were two home burglaries, at 12:15 p.m. in the 2300 block of Piedmont Avenue, and at 9:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of Harmon.
Someone reportedly brandished a weapon at 10:20 p.m. in the 2300 block of 10th Street.
Police handled a “second-response” call at 11:56 p.m. in the 2000 block of Blake Street.

Sunday, May 3
There was a “second-response” call at 12:19 a.m. in the 2300 block of Fulton Street.
There were five robberies: at 12:53 a.m. at Haste and Fulton streets; at 2 a.m. at Hearst Avenue and Oxford Street; at 4:05 a.m. at Addison and Fifth streets; at 10:53 a.m. in the 2900 block of San Pablo Avenue; and at 12:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Brookside Avenue. In the last incident, alert residents worked together to help catch four Oakland teens police say robbed an 18-year-old woman. Read more on Berkeleyside.
There was a home burglary at 3 a.m. in the 3000 block of Benvenue Avenue.
There were three disturbance calls: at 8 a.m. in the 1200 block of Berkeley Way; at noon in the 2400 block of Ashby Avenue; and at 11:10 p.m. in the 2000 block of Addison.
A patron told the BART Police that his or her green 1997 Honda Civic had been stolen from the North Berkeley station between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
There were two commercial burglaries, at 2:45 p.m. in the 1700 block of San Pablo Avenue, and at 11:36 p.m. in the 2400 block of Russell Street.
According to the BART Police, Berkeley officers asked trains to be held at Ashby station at about 6 p.m. while they responded to a reported robbery one block from the station. Four suspects were seen running toward the station from the scene: “Responding officers saw three of the suspects in the neighborhood and gave chase, but eventually lost them on Alcatraz Avenue.” Police checked the station and platform for the other suspect, but did not find him. There was about a 20-minute delay in service as a result of this incident.
Police arrested Demundre Walton, 18, in Oakland at 6 p.m. in connection with a Berkeley robbery, but no further information was available. He is no longer in custody, but is scheduled for an attorney and plea hearing May 15. (That robbery was not listed on CrimeMapping and may be the same incident reported above by the BART Police.)
There was a felony sexual assault at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street.
Monday, May 4
There were four home burglaries: at 5 a.m. in the 2900 block of Derby Street; at 8 a.m. in the 600 block of Vicente Road; at 9:15 a.m. in the 1600 block of Edith Street; and at 11:20 a.m. in the 1600 block of Harmon.
Police arrested Jaymon Matthews, 21, at noon — no location listed — in connection with a robbery in Berkeley in 4014. Matthews is no longer in custody but he is scheduled for a pretrial hearing May 27.
A vehicle was stolen at 8 p.m. in the 2100 block of 10th Street.
The Berkeley Fire Department took three people to the hospital after a vehicle accident at 8:45 p.m. at Seventh and Cedar streets. Police said the injuries were not life threatening.
There was a robbery at 9:55 p.m. at Blake and Milvia streets.

Tuesday, May 5
Many South Berkeley residents were startled at around midnight by the sound of gunshots, near Adeline Street, but the incident actually took place in North Oakland. One person reported to Berkeleyside on Twitter having heard “At least a dozen shots from at least two guns.” According to unconfirmed scanner traffic, one person was shot multiple times. Police found rounds in the area from a rifle and a handgun. A black Honda reportedly fled the scene northbound toward Berkeley on Market Street.
There were four vehicles stolen: at 8 a.m. at Dwight Way and McGee Avenue; at 3 p.m. in the 1100 block of Oxford Street; at 5:30 p.m. in the 700 block of Harrison Street; and at 9:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Fulton Street.
There was a disturbance at 9:10 a.m. in the 2100 block of Milvia Street.
There was a call involving a gun or other weapon at 9:11 a.m. in the 1900 block of Allston Way.
A downtown Berkeley station agent called the BART Police at 9:50 a.m. “about a female who was yelling obscenities in the station. Officers made contact and the female began to try and batter the officers. They were able to wrestle her to the ground, where she hit, scratched, bit and spat at the officers.” Police managed to handcuff her, but “It took numerous officers to get her onto a gurney to be transported by ambulance for psychiatric evaluation,” the BART Police reported. Two officers received minor scratches as a result of the attack. The female was not hurt, according to authorities. She was placed on a psychiatric hold, with a criminal hold for resisting arrest and battery on an officer. Police said, in a prepared statement, she would be booked after the mental health evaluation.
There was a commercial burglary at 9:15 p.m. in the 1900 block of Alcatraz Avenue.
There were two robberies, at 11:20 p.m. at Virginia Street and Le Roy Avenue, and at 11:42 p.m. at Virginia and Acton Street.
Wednesday, May 6
Three vehicles were stolen: at 7 a.m. in the 3100 block of Harper Street; at 1 p.m. in the 2300 block of Howe Street; and at 5 p.m. in the 1100 block of Eastshore Highway.
There were four home burglaries: at 10 a.m. in the 1300 block of Berkeley Way; at 1 p.m. in the 1300 block of Grizzly Peak Boulevard; at 6:30 p.m. in the 700 block of Peralta Avenue; and at 8:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of Dwight Way.
Police arrested Michael Craig, 48, in Emeryville in connection with several drug and firearm-related crimes in Berkeley. He remains in custody, with a bail of $100,000, and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing May 19.
A man told the BART Police that his credit card, which had been stolen earlier in the day in Berkeley, was used to purchase $60 worth of BART tickets at Ashby station between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
There were two robberies, at 4:45 p.m. at Haste Street and Telegraph, and at 5:45 p.m. in the 2600 block of Shattuck Avenue. Police arrested 18-year-old Darryl West in connection with the second incident on suspicion of robbery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of stolen property. West is no longer in custody but is set to return to court to enter a plea May 22.
There was a felony assault or battery at 6:26 p.m. at San Pablo Avenue and Dwight Way.
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 in brief 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.
Related:
Robbers caught after police chase through Berkeley (05.11.15)
Berkeleyside blotter: Crime in Berkeley, April 23-29 (05.07.15)
Berkeley neighbors take on ‘noisy and drunken parties’ (05.05.15)
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