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 Jan. 7-13, there were reports of three robberies, 17 burglaries, six assaults or batteries, two weapon-involved calls and one sexual assault, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 12 stolen vehicles, seven disturbances and 10 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. An assault, a burglary and a stolen vehicle were reported to 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. Arrested individuals listed in this blotter are presumed innocent.
Thursday, Jan. 7
Someone broke into Haas Pavilion and stole clothing and food worth $620 between Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. and Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
There were two home burglaries, at 1:20 a.m. in the 1700 block of Walnut Street, and at 10:25 a.m. in the 2700 block of College Avenue. Police arrested Colby Dudley, 26, and 24-year-old Matthew Henderson in connection with the incident on Walnut. Dudley remains in custody with a bail of $40,000 at Santa Rita Jail, while Henderson is being held with a bail of $35,000. They are scheduled for a pretrial hearing Feb. 2.
The California Highway Patrol chased a stolen tow truck in Berkeley, but ended 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 before 4 a.m. about a stolen tow truck on Gilman Street west of I-80. The driver fled before a roadblock was established. The driver fled east on Gilman, said Wilkenfeld, but “due to the suspect’s excessive speed on city streets and reckless driving behavior we terminated the pursuit.” The tow truck was recovered later in the morning after it was abandoned in Oakland. Wilkenfeld said officers terminated the chase 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.” (This item first appeared on an earlier blotter for timeliness.)
A woman with a gun shot herself outside Berkeley’s Old City Hall. She later died. She was identified as 63-year-old Shelley Bergum of Berkeley.
A vehicle was stolen at 3 p.m. in the 2800 block of Woolsey Street.
There was a felony assault or battery at 10:35 p.m. in the 2000 block of Allston Way.
Friday, Jan. 8
Drugs were tossed from a car as the California Highway Patrol pursued an Acura Integra through Berkeley early Friday morning. Three people were arrested at the end of the chase in Oakland. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Police announced that they were searching for a 22-year-old UC Berkeley student who was missing. Authorities later found her vehicle and some of her belongings in Point Reyes on a cliff above the ocean. Read more on Berkeleyside.
There were three home burglaries: at 4:30 a.m. in the 1600 block of Jaynes Street; at 4:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of Bonita Avenue; and at 9:22 a.m. in the 3000 block of Bateman Street.
Police responded to the 1400 block of Sixth Street for a mail theft report that led to three arrests. Said Officer Jennifer Coats, Berkeley Police spokeswoman, a resident reported seeing a female steal mail from his property: “Officers arrived and attempted to detain the involved parties, three females, but they fled from the police in different directions. Officers were able to locate and detain them. Their names were not immediately available but they were all arrested.”
A reader told us about a theft at Royal Ground Coffee on Shattuck and Channing: “A customer sitting by the front doors of the cafe was momentarily distracted as a man in his twenties grabbed a large backpack containing the customer’s laptop, purse, and other valuables. Two customers pursued the thief. BPD response time was under 5 minutes.”
A vehicle was stolen at 3:25 p.m. in the 400 block of Gilman Street.
Saturday, Jan. 9
Three vehicles were stolen: at 2 a.m. in the 2500 block of San Pablo Avenue; at noon in the 1900 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard; and ta 9:20 p.m. at Allston Way and Harold Way.
There was a call involving a gun at 4:14 a.m. in the 900 block of Ashby Avenue. Police arrested Jevon Russell, 43, on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a concealed, loaded firearm and several other violations. He is no longer in custody, after posting a bond for $141,305, but has been charged and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Feb. 4 at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland.
There was a felony assault or battery at 11 a.m. in the 1500 block of Stuart Street. Officers responded to a report of a shooting. The victim, a 32-year-old man, told BPD he had been injured in a possible robbery attempt. Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats said he “was uncooperative with police officers and did not want to provide a statement,” but that police will “continue to investigate this matter.” Read more on Berkeleyside.
There was a robbery at 10:18 p.m. in the 1300 block of Peralta Avenue.
Sunday, Jan. 10
There were four home burglaries: at 12:01 a.m. in the 2000 block of Vine Street; at 5:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Channing Way; at 5 p.m. in the 1500 block of Milvia Street; and at 9:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of Ward Street.
There were two robberies, at 1:17 a.m. in the 2300 block of San Pablo Avenue, and at 9:30 p.m. at Adeline Street and Alcatraz Avenue.
Three vehicles were stolen: at 9:10 a.m. in the 200 block of Marina Boulevard; at 3 p.m. in the 3200 block of Sacramento Street; and at 11 p.m. in the 1500 block of Dwight Way.
There were three disturbance calls: at 9:20 a.m. in the 2400 block of Telegraph Avenue; at 6:21 p.m. in the 600 block of Page Street; and at 8:41 p.m. Derby and Sacramento streets.
There was a call involving a gun or other weapon at 4:56 p.m. in the 1600 block of Russell Street. Police responded to a report of a possible shooting. Coats said witnesses reported that several males were seen running from the area. Officers detained three people who matched the descriptions provided by witnesses. Officers also found evidence that a shooting had occurred. They found property damage but no victims were struck. One of the young men arrested was found with a loaded gun. Read more on Berkeleyside.
The arrested individuals were identified on the Alameda County sheriff’s department Inmate Locator website as 18-year-olds Darryon Carrell, Immanuel Ramsey and Aaron Meredith. Carrell remains in custody and has been sentenced in connection with the case, according to the sheriff’s department. Ramsey and Meredith are no longer in custody. Meredith is scheduled for a motion hearing Feb. 16. No further information was available about Ramsey.
There was a misdemeanor sexual assault at 6:05 p.m. in the 2300 block Milvia Street.
Monday, Jan. 11
BART briefly closed the downtown Berkeley station around 4 a.m. after workers found a dismembered foot on the tracks, according to Jim Allison, a BART spokesman. The station reopened a short time later. Service was not delayed. Authorities believe the foot belonged to a woman who jumped in front of a BART train in December.
Police arrested Jessica Cervantes, 32, on suspicion of grand theft and embezzlement involving a rented vehicle, both felonies, in connection with a 2015 case in Berkeley. She was arrested in San Mateo. She is no longer in custody, having posted a bond for a bail of $37,500, and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Feb. 4. Charges against her include vehicle theft and embezzlement, according to the sheriff’s department website.
A city worker was taken to the hospital after a municipal garbage truck may have pinned him against a pole in the Berkeley Hills when its brakes went out, according to preliminary reports. He later died. Johnny Tolliver Sr., who had worked for Berkeley for 25 years, was 52. Read more on Berkeleyside. Services were held this week, according to the city.
There were three disturbance calls: at 12:05 p.m. in the 1900 block of Hearst Avenue; at 7:06 p.m. in the 1800 block of Fourth Street; and at 9:58 p.m. in the 2600 block of Telegraph Avenue.
There were two home burglaries, at 12:50 p.m. in the 1500 block of Bonita Avenue and at 6 p.m. in the 1600 block of Edith Street.
There was a commercial burglary at 3:35 p.m. in the 2000 block of Allston Way.
UCPD received a report about a 34-year-old man brandishing a knife at another man and making threats at People’s Park. Police planned to seek a warrant.
A vehicle was stolen at 5 p.m. in the 2100 block of Stuart Street.
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Three vehicles were stolen: at midnight in the 3100 block of King Street; at 6:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Euclid Avenue; and at 8:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Keith Avenue.
There was a commercial burglary at 1:38 a.m. in the 900 block of Parker Street.
There were four home burglaries: at 2:55 a.m. in the 2700 block of Prince Street; at 10:50 a.m. in the 2000 block of Eunice Street; at 12:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Grant Street; and at 2:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Edith Street.
A man detained by an officer for reportedly urinating aboard a BART train at the North Berkeley station at 5:25 p.m. was found to have an active order prohibiting him from trespassing on BART property, the BART Police Department reported. The man was arrested on suspicion of violating the order, and taken to Berkeley Jail. According to the Alameda County sheriff’s department, 54-year-old Iran Vaughn was the man who was arrested. He remains in custody without bail at Santa Rita Jail. His next court date was not listed online.
Sometime before 9:40 p.m. officers were dispatched to a hit-and-run collision in the 1800 block of Ward Street, said Officer Jennifer Coats, in response to a query from Berkeleyside: “The suspect vehicle struck a parked vehicle that was facing east on Ward Street. The suspect was driving south on MLK and turned west onto Ward Street striking the vehicle. That vehicle was then pushed into a third vehicle. The occupants of the vehicle then fled on foot. Officers quickly responded to the area to attempt to locate the occupants.” The vehicle had been reported stolen in Oakland on Jan. 10.
Wednesday, Jan. 13
A 300-pound life-size bronze statue, worth an estimated $80,000, was stolen from the UC Berkeley Boathouse in Oakland. The statue depicts Crew Coach Carrol ‘Ky’ Ebright, who led Cal crew teams to earn three Olympic gold medals and other championships in the early 20th century. The theft took place between Tuesday at 11 p.m. and Wednesday at 7 a.m. The statue was funded by Cal alumni donations “and has significant symbolic and sentimental value,” according to a statement released Wednesday by UCPD. (The statue later was recovered inside a vehicle in San Leandro.)
There was a disturbance call at 8:01 a.m. in the 800 block of Hearst Avenue.
A stolen vehicle was recovered at 11 a.m. in the 2900 block of California Street.
(No other calls were listed for this day. The data may be incomplete.)
Other recent incidents
Police detained three young men after a pedestrian robbery in downtown Berkeley on Shattuck Avenue and Center Street on Friday, Jan. 15. A reader asked Berkeleyside why there were “tons of cops on Allston and Harold,” shortly before 2:50 p.m., and we asked BPD for information. The robbery took place in front of the BART rotunda, said Lt. Andrew Rateaver of the Berkeley Police Department. Police later identified the men as Johnny Jackson, 18, of Oakland; Jerrell Gardner, 20, of Richmond; and Terrance Mitchell, 20, of Berkeley. All three remain in custody and are next set to appear in court Monday, Jan. 25, for a procedural hearing. Jackson and Gardner are being held on bail in the amount of $60,000, while Mitchell is being held with a bail of $70,000.
Police also responded Friday, Jan. 15, for a report of a prowler behind a house in the 1600 block of Josephine Street at about 3:30 p.m. Said Rateaver, “Officers responded and located the suspect fleeing from the scene. He was detained, identified and arrested.” Police identified the man as 33-year-old Carlos Kincaid of San Francisco. He was arrested on suspicion of prowling and probation violation, said BPD spokeswoman Coats. He remains in custody without bail at Santa Rita Jail and has been sentenced in connection with the case, according to the Alameda County sheriff’s department.
A 41-year-old man arrested in December in connection with a child molestation case dating back to 2012 is set for a pretrial hearing next week at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse. According to court papers, Berkeley investigators picked up Jack Jansen in Bakersfield on Dec. 22 after he had been arrested by the Kern County sheriff’s department in Mojave. Authorities said a Berkeley woman found Jansen in May 2012 with her partially undressed 7-year-old son. Jansen fled before police arrived. The boy said Jansen had touched him inappropriately. A warrant for Jansen’s arrest was issued in November 2012. The Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Jansen in late December with committing lewd acts upon a child, a felony. Jansen entered a not guilty plea Jan. 6. He is being held at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $200,000. According to court papers, he has one prior conviction, for robbery in 1996 in San Joaquin County.
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:
Police make arrest in 2014 Berkeley killing (01.21.16)
Teen with gun spotted near Berkeley High, detained (01.20.16)
Berkeley teen arrested with gun amid fights downtown (01.20.16)
Person dies after being struck by BART train; North Berkeley station re-opens (01.19.16)
Berkeley man set to enter plea in death threats case (01.14.16)
Berkeley marijuana dispensary robbed at gunpoint (01.13.16)
Berkeleyside blotter: Crime in Berkeley, 12/31-1/6 (01.12.16)
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