Berkeleyside blotter: Crime in Berkeley, Dec. 24-30

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. Share photos, videos and tips, about breaking news or neighborhood safety issues, via email at crime@berkeleyside.com or on Facebook or Twitter. Don’t assume someone else will alert us. We want to know about issues of concern and rely on readers to help us stay informed.

From Dec. 24-30, there were reports of four robberies, 18 burglaries, 13 assaults or batteries, no weapon-involved calls and no sexual assaults, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 10 stolen vehicles, six disturbances and 24 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. No significant incidents were reported by the University of California Police Department (UCPD). The following items represent a sampling of calls; incidents that took place during a range of time are listed unless otherwise noted by the beginning of that time period.

Thursday, Dec. 24

Five vehicles were stolen: at 2:35 a.m. in the 2200 block of Stuart Street; at 3 p.m. in the 2700 block of Dana Street; at 5 p.m. in the 1600 block of Channing Way; at 5 p.m. in the 1000 block of Overlook Road; and at 10 p.m. in the 400 block of Northampton Avenue.

There were three robberies: at 3 a.m. at Ashby and Hillegass avenues; at 10:50 a.m. at Shattuck Avenue and Kittredge Street; and at 6:20 p.m. in the 1400 block of Shattuck Avenue. Police arrested 22-year-old Thomas Cullens in connection with the third incident; he remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail and has already been sentenced.

There was a home burglary at 4 a.m. in the 1900 block of Ward Street.

There was a disturbance at 12:20 p.m. in the 2600 block of San Pablo Avenue.

There was a felony assault or battery at 5:15 p.m. in the 2200 block of Shattuck Avenue.

There were 18 burglaries (shown in black) reported over this period, via CrimeMapping.com. The prior week there were 23. There was also four robberies (in blue), following six the prior week. Click the map for a list. — There were 18 burglaries (shown in black) reported over this period, via CrimeMapping.com. The prior week there were 23. There were also four robberies (in blue), following six the prior week. Click the map for a list.

Friday, Dec. 25

There were two home burglaries, at 1 a.m. in the 1800 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, and at 7 a.m. in the 1500 block of Alcatraz Avenue.

Two vehicles were stolen, at 5 p.m. in the 200 block of Marina Boulevard, and at 8:15 p.m. in the same block.

Saturday, Dec. 26

There was a robbery at 9:58 a.m. in the 2100 block of Kittredge Street.

There were two disturbance calls, at 4 p.m. in the 2300 block of Spaulding Avenue, and at 6:52 p.m. in the 3200 block of Sacramento Street.

A vehicle was stolen at 10 p.m. in the 2400 block of Oregon Street.

There was a commercial burglary at 10:46 p.m. in the 900 block of Murray Street.

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

Sunday, Dec. 27

There were four home burglaries: at 12:01 a.m. in the 2800 block of Benvenue Avenue; at 1 a.m. in the 2700 block of Piedmont Avenue; at 10:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Tanglewood Road; and at 10:30 p.m. in the 900 block of Hilldale Avenue.

There was a disturbance at 3:20 a.m. in the 1200 block of University Avenue.

A 78-year-old Berkeley man was killed in a fire Sunday morning. The Fire Department was notified of a blaze in a home at 2817 Acton St. between Oregon and Russell streets at 4:47 a.m., according to Interim Deputy Fire Chief Donna McCracken. Flames were shooting from the home’s windows when firefighters arrived. Billy Carroll, the man who died, was described by a former neighbor as “a very friendly man who used to roller skate around the neighborhood. He would often take out a telescope to look at the stars and invite people in the neighborhood to watch.” Read more on Berkeleyside.

There was a commercial burglary at 2:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Seventh Street.

A vehicle was stolen at 9:15 p.m. in the 2200 block of Shattuck Avenue.

Monday, Dec. 28

There were five home burglaries: at 2 a.m. in the 2500 block of College Avenue; at 8 a.m. in the 2100 block of Oregon Street; at 3:45 p.m. at an unlisted location; at 6 p.m. in the 1800 block of Curtis Street; and at 11:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of Curtis.

According to the BART Police, someone tried to steal a black four-door 2004 Toyota Tacoma while it was parked at the Ashby BART station between 8:20 a.m. and 6 p.m. The thief “used a tool to remove the driver’s door lock and broke a tool off in the ignition, attempting to start the vehicle,” according to authorities.

There were 24 thefts or burglaries from vehicles, via CrimeMapping. There were 29 the prior week. There were also 10 vehicles stolen (in purple). Click the map for a list of incidents.

Tuesday, Dec. 29

There were two home burglaries, at 4 a.m. in the 1700 block of Rose Street, and at 8:58 p.m. in the 1400 block of Edith Street.

There was a disturbance at 4 a.m. in the 1200 block of Colusa Avenue.

A stranger pepper sprayed a man sitting on the sidewalk near the Elmwood Cafe. Photo: Citizen reporter

At 10:10 a.m., a male sitting on the sidewalk in the 2900 block of College Avenue was pepper sprayed by a stranger, said Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats: “Several witnesses reported the incident. The victim declined medical attention and did not want provide information” about what had taken place. A reader who initially told Berkeleyside about the incident said it happened outside the Elmwood Café at 2900 College Ave., adding: “we (customers) were coughing and ran out of the restaurant because some of the spray came inside.” She described the victim as a “street person.”

A vehicle was stolen at 11:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of Regent Street.

Wednesday, Dec. 30

Police arrested 42-year-old Antara Mosley shortly after midnight on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. As of Thursday, Jan. 7, she remained in custody with a bail of $160,000 and had been scheduled for an attorney and plea hearing earlier in the day.

There was a disturbance call at 1:05 a.m. in the 1700 block of Virginia Street.

There were two commercial burglaries, at 3:39 a.m. in the 2900 block of Domingo Avenue, and at 3:43 a.m. in the 1700 block of Fourth Street.

According to the BART Police, a thief stole a gray 1990 Honda Civic while it was parked at the North Berkeley BART station between 2:10 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

Other recent incidents

Dana and Carleton. Photo: Citizen reporter — Dana and Carleton on Jan. 2. Photo: Citizen reporter

A 20-year-old adult film star from Berkeley was arrested Jan. 2 on a warrant for kidnapping in connection with an assault case from December. Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats said the initial case took place Dec. 19 when a female victim told authorities her former boyfriend forced her to drive from Berkeley to Emeryville where he assaulted her. She “was able to get away” from the man, and contacted police, Coats said. The man fled prior to the arrival of officers, who sought a warrant for his arrest. On Jan. 2, officers learned the man was in the 2600 block of Dana Street, near Carleton Street, and arrested him at about 4 p.m. The man is no longer in custody but the case has been forwarded to the Alameda County district attorney’s office for charging consideration, said Coats.

A South Berkeley mailbox stolen in December should be replaced this week, the U.S. Post Office reports. Several readers asked Berkeleyside about a missing mailbox at Adeline Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. USPS spokesman Augustine Ruiz confirmed this week that the box “was stolen in the evening after the mail was collected.” He did not provide a date but a reader told Berkeleyside about the missing mailbox Dec. 7. Ruiz said the USPS is working to get a replacement “and we should get it installed by the end of this week.” Ruiz said he did not know whether mail had been taken along with the box, adding, “If there was any mail in it, it would be from customers who may have dropped mail in it after the last collection, which is most unlikely because our customers know what time to deposit their mail before the last collection.”

The California Highway Patrol chased a stolen tow truck in Berkeley early Thursday, Jan. 7, but terminated the pursuit when the driver reached freeway speeds on city streets, authorities said. Oakland CHP spokesman Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said the CHP got a call sometime before 4 a.m. about a stolen tow truck located on Gilman Street west of Interstate 80. Units responded, but the suspect fled before a roadblock had been established. The driver fled east on Gilman and continued for a short while, said Wilkenfeld, but “due to the suspect’s excessive speed on city streets and reckless driving behavior we terminated the pursuit.” Later in the morning, the tow truck was recovered after it had been abandoned in Oakland. Wilkenfeld said officers terminated the pursuit due to public safety, and noted that sirens were used “so that any pedestrians or vehicles in the area are aware of the danger and so that the suspect cannot later claim that they did not know we were behind them.”

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.

Do you rely on Berkeleyside for local news? Support independent journalism by becoming a Berkeleyside member for $10 a month or even less, or by making a one-time donation.

Other recent incidents

Emilie Raguso