Berkeleyside blotter: Crime in Berkeley, 5/28-6/3

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 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 May 28 to June 3, there were reports of four robberies, 17 burglaries, 13 assaults or batteries, no weapon-involved calls and three sexual assaults, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 14 stolen vehicles, 12 disturbances and 46 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. There were no significant incidents reported by 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, May 28

There was a felony sexual assault at 12:01 a.m. in the 2100 block of McKinley Avenue, and a misdemeanor sexual assault at 8:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Wheeler Street.

There were two disturbances, at 10 a.m. in the 2400 block of Fulton Street, and at the same time in the 700 block of Peralta Avenue.

There were three home burglaries: at 10:45 a.m. in the 1400 block of Fairview Street; at 3:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of California Street; and at 11 p.m. in the 1900 block of Haste Street.

There were three stolen vehicles: at 8 p.m. in the 2400 block of Spaulding Avenue; at 8:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Wheeler Street; and at 10 p.m. in the 600 block of Vincente Avenue.

There were 17 burglaries (shown in black) reported over this period, via CrimeMapping.com. The prior week there were 29. There were also four robberies (in blue), following three the prior week. Click the map for a list.

Friday, May 29

BART officers responded to the downtown Berkeley station on a report of a disturbance in a Fremont-bound train at about 12:30 a.m. A man was reportedly trying to start fights with other passengers. Officers found the man but he was uncooperative and combative, BART PD said in a prepared statement. Officers used force to take the man into custody, and determined that he needed psychiatric evaluation. The man was taken to a local hospital “for precautionary measures after feigning being unconscious,” according to BART PD. One officer hurt his knee in the struggle. Police said the man would be taken to a psychiatric hospital after being medically cleared.

Three vehicles were stolen: at 8 a.m. in the 3000 block of Hillegass Avenue; at 6 p.m. in the 1300 block of Neilson Street; and at 10 p.m. in the 2300 block of Haste Street.

There were two commercial burglaries, at 8:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of Milvia Street, and at 8:45 p.m. in the 2800 block of Telegraph Avenue.

Police arrested Jeffrey Paulson, 57, on a warrant for unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle. He is no longer in custody and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 15.

There was a robbery at noon in the 1300 block of San Pablo Avenue.

There were two disturbances, at 1:39 p.m. in the 2400 block of Telegraph Avenue, and at 7:05 p.m. in the 700 block of Harrison Street.

There was a home burglary at 4 p.m. in the 2900 block of Otis Street.

Police arrested Samuel Conyers, 20, on a warrant for second-degree burglary. He remains in custody with a bail of $100,000, and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing July 15.

As per the BART Police, a thief stole a green Vilano single-speed road bike from the south racks between 6:30 a.m. and 10:50 p.m. The victim had locked the front wheel to the rack using a U-lock, but the thief removed the frame and left the front wheel locked to the rack.

Saturday, May 30

There was a home burglary at 9 a.m. in the 3200 block of California Street.

There was a robbery at 4:55 p.m. in the 2400 block of Durant Avenue.

There were two vehicles stolen, at 7 p.m. in the 3000 block of Tremont Street, and at 11 p.m. in the 2100 block of Ninth Street.

There was a disturbance at 10:15 p.m. in the 2200 block of Shattuck Avenue.

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

Sunday, May 31

Two vehicles were stolen, at 2 a.m. in the 900 block of Parker Street, and at 4:20 a.m. in the 1700 block of Eighth Street.

Three people were taken to the hospital, and firefighters had to rescue several tenants from an apartment building at 2510 Regent St., after a fire broke out shortly before 3 a.m. Read more on Berkeleyside.

There were two commercial burglaries, at 11:50 a.m. in the 2000 block of Addison Street, and at 3:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of Sacramento Street.

There was a robbery at 6:25 p.m. in the 1900 block of Shattuck Avenue.

There was a home burglary at 8 p.m. in the 2300 block of Woolsey Street.

There was a disturbance at 11:25 p.m. in the 2700 block of College Avenue.

Monday, June 1

There was a commercial burglary at 12:30 a.m. in the 3100 block of Sacramento Street.

There was a felony sexual assault at 9 a.m. in the 400 block of Vincente Avenue.

The BART Police report that a female was at the downtown Berkeley BART station, on the concourse level, when several male juveniles approached her at about 10 a.m. One of them snatched her iPhone while she was texting, then fled downstairs to the platform level. Officers searched the area but could not find him.

The Berkeley Fire Department responded to a report of an odor of natural gas in South Berkeley at 1:30 p.m. Deputy Fire Chief Avery Webb said firefighters found PG&E working on a ruptured 2-inch natural gas main near the intersection of Oregon and Fulton streets. The natural gas leak had been controlled by the time fire companies arrived. Firefighters then moved to evaluate nearby LeConte Elementary School, at 2241 Russell St., due to odor reports. Webb said they found that a slight odor of natural gas was present. Firefighters took readings with a flammable gas detector but found nothing hazardous. They used blowers to clear the smell from the air.

Two vehicles were stolen, at 5 p.m. at Warring Street and Dwight Way at 5 p.m., and at 6 p.m. in the 1100 block of Cragmont Avenue.

There were 46 thefts or burglaries from vehicles, via CrimeMapping. There were 36 the prior week. There were also 14 vehicles stolen (in purple). Click the map for a list of incidents.

Tuesday, June 2

Two vehicles were stolen, at 8 a.m. in the 1700 block of Sixth Street, and at 6 p.m. in the 3000 block of Dana Street.

There were five home burglaries: at 9 a.m. in the 400 block of Spruce Street; at 9:30 a.m. in the 2400 block of Cedar Street; at 10:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Arlington Avenue; at 3:40 p.m. in the 2900 block of Otis Street; and at 4:30 p.m. at an unlisted location.

There were two disturbances, at 1:40 p.m. in the 2000 block of Oregon Street, and at 3:28 p.m. in the 2100 block of San Pablo Avenue.

There was a robbery at 11:19 p.m. in the 2000 block of University Avenue.

Wednesday, June 3

There were four disturbances: at 9 a.m. in the 2100 block of Shattuck Avenue; at 9:50 a.m. in the 1800 block of Solano Avenue; at 1:15 p.m. in the 3000 block of Telegraph Avenue; and at 1:45 p.m. in the 2600 block of College Avenue.

Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats said officers responded at about 10:30 a.m. to the Wells Fargo Bank at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street. Employees called police after a man later identified as Elliot Chance, 44, refused to leave the business. Officers arrived at the bank and tried to get Chance to leave, but he again refused, said Coats. Officers found Chance to have a warrant for his arrest, and tried to take him into custody. A struggled ensued when Chance resisted. Officers called for emergency back-up and ultimately were able to detain him. During the initial struggle, two officers were hurt. One officer was taken to a local hospital with a serious but non-life-threatening injury. The other officer did not require medical transport. Chance was also taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation, then arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and the outstanding warrant.

There was a commercial burglary at 11:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of University Avenue.

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.

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Emilie Raguso