Police recovered two guns and arrested four teenage boys, including a 14-year-old, after a robbery in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood Saturday night.
Lt. Alyson Hart said police received a call at 9:20 p.m. about an armed robbery that had just taken place at College Avenue and Parker Street.
Responding officers tried to stop a vehicle they believed was linked to the crime, but “it took off and shortly after crashed into a fence at Derby and Warring.”
The driver ended up running into some bushes, but the damage was minor and no injuries were reported, Hart said.
A local resident who came across the crash aftermath “saw a shoe, looked pretty new, just abandoned on the sidewalk like maybe somebody ran out of it trying to get somewhere fast.”
Another resident said she counted more than 10 police units that had responded to the scene.
“I was walking from downtown to the Elmwood last night at 9:15 and noticed 3-4 police cars combing the area west of Telegraph and south of campus,” she wrote. “Within minutes, all those cars went, lights and sirens on, speeding to the stretch of Derby around the base of Etna and Piedmont.”
Police ultimately arrested two boys from Richmond, ages 14 and 16, and two boys from San Pablo, ages 16 and 17.
As of Saturday, there had been at least 25 robberies in Berkeley in January. There were 33 robberies in January 2015.
There were at least two other robberies in Berkeley on Saturday night, according to CrimeMapping.com: at 7 p.m. in the 2000 block of University Avenue, and at 7:18 p.m. at Sacramento Street and Ashby Avenue.
Have a question about a local public safety incident? Write to crime@berkeleyside.com. Photographs and videos are always appreciated. Read more about robberies in Berkeley.
Related:
Serious Berkeley crime skyrockets in first half of 2015 (09.10.15)
City of Berkeley unveils new open data portal (08.10.15)
Violent crime dropped 25% in Berkeley in 2014 (03.10.15)
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