This overview of recent crime in Berkeley is based on reports to the Berkeley Police unless otherwise noted. Please share photos, videos and 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 anonymity. Don’t assume someone else will alert us — you may be the only one to get in touch. We want to know about issues of concern and rely on readers to help us stay informed.
From Oct. 15-21, there were reports of two robberies, 11 burglaries, 14 assaults or batteries, three weapon-involved calls and no sexual assaults, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 15 stolen vehicles, 13 disturbances and 27 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. One burglary was reported by the University of California Police Department (UCPD). 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 unless otherwise noted by the beginning of that time period.
Thursday, Oct. 15
There was a disturbance at 12:15 a.m. at Sacramento Street and Alcatraz Avenue.
There were two felony assaults or batteries, at 1:40 p.m. in the 1300 block of University Avenue, and at 11:45 p.m. in the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue.
There was an arson call at 9:12 p.m. at Murray and Ninth streets.
There was a robbery at 10:35 p.m. in the 1200 block of Hearst Avenue.
Friday, Oct. 16
Three vehicles were stolen: at midnight in the 1500 block of Alcatraz; at 6 p.m. in the 100 block of Eton Court; and at 11 p.m. in the 1600 block of Grant Street.
There were two disturbance calls, at 7:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Spaulding Avenue, and at 11:45 a.m. in the 2900 block of Dwight Way.
There was a call involving a weapon at 8:25 a.m. in the 1900 block of Allston Way. Authorities responded to a report of a student with a weapon at Berkeley High School, and ultimately confiscated a knife from the student. Read more on Berkeleyside.
There was a home burglary at 10:35 a.m. in the 1900 block of Bonita Avenue. Police arrested Michael Jones, 38, on suspicion of burglary. He remains in custody without bail and is scheduled for a progress report hearing Nov. 10.
There was a felony assault or battery at 11:34 p.m. at Telegraph and Durant avenues.
Saturday, Oct. 17
There was a second-response call at 12:10 a.m. in the 2100 block of Delaware Street.
There was a call involving a weapon at 12:16 a.m. in the 2800 block of Park Street, and someone reportedly brandished a weapon at 11:20 a.m. in the 2700 block of Channing Way.
There was a disturbance at 1:45 a.m. in the 1500 block of Tyler Street.
Police arrested Robert Schmitz, 59, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. He is no longer in custody, after being released on his own recognizance, and is scheduled for further pretrial Dec. 10.
Three vehicles were stolen: at 3 p.m. in the 3100 block of Hillegass Avenue; at 3:45 p.m. in the 2500 block of Virginia Street; and at 6 p.m. in the 1500 block of Euclid Avenue.
There was a commercial burglary at 8 p.m. in the 1800 block of Solano Avenue.
Police responded to two stabbings related to the same fight at 11:30 p.m. on Telegraph Avenue near Durant Avenue. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Police responded to the 1100 block of Euclid Avenue, south of Keith Avenue, where a drunk driver ran into a vehicle that struck a house. Police took that person into custody.
Sunday, Oct. 18
Police received numerous calls at about 12:15 a.m. reporting gunfire in West Berkeley. More than a dozen people called to report five to six shots fired. Officers found casings in the 2800 block of Mabel Street, between Oregon and Russell streets. No victim has come forward.
There were two home burglaries, at 9 a.m. in the 1700 block of Blake Street, and at 11:45 a.m. in the 3000 block of Acton Street.
There was an arson call at noon in the 1600 block of Stannage Avenue.
A man in a black full-size cargo van, without side or back windows, tried to convince three girls to get inside his vehicle in two separate incidents, at about 5:55 p.m. and 6:10 p.m., near College Avenue and Webster Street. The man was described as Hispanic, 20 to 30 years old, with dark hair and a mustache. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Three vehicles were stolen: at 7 p.m. in the 2800 block of Ellsworth Street; at 11 p.m. in the 100 block of Panoramic Way; and at 11 p.m. in the 2300 block of Stuart Street.
Oklahoma-based band Other Lives spread the word that “Our van and trailer (with our equipment) was stolen … at the intersection of Telegraph and Stuart. It’s a 15 passenger, Green, 98 Ford Club Wagon. The trailer attached is a White 14′ Cargo express Tandem Axle with the left fender missing.” Berkeleyside reported the theft on Facebook. The band got back the van and trailer Oct. 24 after it was recovered in Oakland. All of the gear had been taken.
There was a disturbance at 7:35 p.m. in the 2300 block of Telegraph.
Monday, Oct. 19
There were two home burglaries, at 7:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Prince Street, and at 9 p.m. in the 1900 block of Chestnut Street.
There were two disturbance calls, at 9 a.m. in the 1400 block of University, and at 7:45 p.m. in the 1500 block of Fairview Street.
There was a commercial burglary at 1:15 p.m. in the 1900 block of Marin Avenue.
Two vehicles were stolen, at 4 p.m. in the 2800 block of Piedmont Avenue, and at 11 p.m. in the 3300 block of California Street.
A BART officer responded to the North Berkeley station at about 9:40 p.m. for a report of a woman who was screaming at patrons. The officer detained her and a records check showed she had a $7,500 warrant issued by BART for willfully disturbing others on BART. The woman was placed under arrest on the warrant and booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Two vehicles were stolen, at 3:45 a.m. in the 3100 block of Sacramento Street, and at 10:21 p.m. in the 3200 block of Adeline Street.
There were three disturbance calls: at 6:30 a.m. in the 1600 block of Eastshore Highway; at 10:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King. Jr. Way; and at 6:20 p.m. in the 900 block of Modoc Street.
There was a vice call at 8:44 a.m. in the 1100 block of San Pablo Avenue.
There was a commercial burglary at 5 p.m. in the 100 block of Bolivar Drive.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
There was a commercial burglary at 12:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Hearst Avenue.
Two vehicles were stolen, at 5:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Ashby Avenue, and at 10 p.m. in the 2200 block of Rose Street.
There was a robbery at 5:40 a.m. at Seventh Street and Heinz Avenue.
There were two home burglaries, at 4 p.m. in the 2500 block of Dana Street, and at 5:15 p.m. in the 1200 block of Delaware Street.
Police arrested a man they say carjacked a driver in West Berkeley after breaking into the municipal animal shelter at about 6:25 p.m. to steal a dog he’d been turned down from adopting. Read more on Berkeleyside.
There was a disturbance at 10 p.m. in the 1100 block of Glen Avenue.
Police reported an arrest in the UC Berkeley Strawberry Canyon pool groping case from over the summer, but the district attorney’s office has not yet filed charges pending further investigation.
Other recent incidents
On Oct. 22, the BART Police released a brief statement about a strong-arm robbery on a Richmond-bound train at the Ashby station at about 4:20 p.m. after a man accidentally dropped his Samsung Galaxy S6 cellphone on the floor. As he reached down to pick it up, a man “slapped the victim’s hand away, grabbed the phone and fled from the station. Officers responded and unsuccessfully searched for the suspect; they were also unable to track the phone.” The victim sustained a minor abrasion to his hand during the robbery, but declined medical attention. The robbery was described as black, in his early 20s, 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build and light complexion. He was wearing a black hoodie and black pants.
A Campus Security Authority reported a sexual assault to UCPD. On Oct. 26, at about 10:30 p.m., a female student had just exited a bus near Unit 3, near Durant Avenue and Dana Street. A male started following, then began talking to, the student, who tried to ignore him. According to UCPD, “The male grabbed the victim’s arm and shirt and pushed her against the front door of Beverly Cleary Hall. The suspect said inappropriate things of a sexual nature and tried to intimidate her into letting him into the building.” The male ran away when a resident of Beverly Cleary Hall opened the door. A criminal complaint was not filed with UCPD so no additional information was available.
UCPD announced Oct. 29 that it had “been informed by a UC Berkeley Campus Security Authority (CSA) of a report that one or more individuals may have been drugged at a fraternity recently.” No further information about the possible drugging, at an unknown fraternity, was provided.
UCPD released a brief statement about two armed robberies near campus. The first, Oct. 30, took place in People’s Park at 10:10 p.m. A 17-year-old was robbed at gunpoint of his possessions by three male suspects who were last seen driving eastbound on Dwight Way in a dark blue BMW. Two of the robbers appeared to be 18-20 years old and were wearing black beanies. No description was available for the third one. The next incident took place a few hours later, at 1 a.m. Oct. 31 in front of International House at 2299 Piedmont Ave. A female was robbed of her purse. The two male suspects were last seen driving south on Piedmont in a small champagne-colored four-door vehicle. The robbers were described as black, in their 20s, and were both wearing black-hooded sweatshirts, with black bandanas covering their faces. One was 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build, and the other was 6 feet tall with a thin build. Police searched the area but were not able to find them.
The Berkeley Fire Department responded Oct. 31 to a report of a vehicle fire on campus near Mulford Hall at about 4:30 p.m. Said Avery Webb, interim fire chief, “The first arriving engine company discovered the fire to involve a golf-cart style utility vehicle, next to the building. A truck company checked the building for fire extension. No fire extension was noted, however, smoke was found inside the ground floor level.” The engine company extinguished the fire, and the truck company removed smoke from the building. No injuries were reported. The university’s fire marshal was notified, and is responsible for the fire investigation.
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, and UCPD crime alerts. 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:
Man shot during robbery at Berkeley hydroponic shop (11.01.15)
Berkeley police respond to huge Southside riot (11.01.15)
Berkeley man arrested after dog theft, carjacking (10.30.15)
Police use license plate reader in kidnapping attempt investigations (10.30.15)
Motorcycle rider injured in collision on I-80 in Berkeley (10.29.15)
Alameda man charged in West Berkeley shooting (10.28.15)
Berkeleyside blotter: Crime in Berkeley, Oct. 8-14 (10.27.15)
West Berkeley fire causes $100,000 in damage (10.27.15)
Crash in West Berkeley sends pedestrian to Highland (10.24.15)
Motorcyclist dies after crash on I-80 in Berkeley (10.23.15)
Berkeley police arrest felon with gun near Clark Kerr (10.23.15)
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