This overview of recent crime in Berkeley is based on reports to the Berkeley Police unless otherwise noted. Share photos, videos and tips by emailing crime@berkeleyside.com or on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t assume someone else will alert us. We rely on readers to help us stay informed.
From March 24-30, there were reports of four robberies, 18 burglaries, 16 assaults or batteries, three weapon-involved calls and two sexual assaults, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 14 stolen vehicles, nine disturbances and 40 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. Two robberies, two burglaries and two vehicle thefts were reported to the University of California Police Department (UCPD). Arrested or charged individuals in this blotter are presumed innocent. Find our March 24-30 round-up below.
Recent public safety news
APPLE STORE IPAD THEFT Police are looking for two men they say stole an iPad from the Berkeley Apple store earlier this month. On April 3, the men entered the store, at 1823 Fourth St., and left with the iPad. According to a police statement released Thursday, “At this point we don’t believe the theft is related to any ongoing thefts from Apple Stores in the Bay Area. Based on the quality of the video we hoped to enlist the community’s help in nabbing this duo.” The department can be reached at 510-981-5900, or by email at police@cityofberkely.info. The photographs appear above.
The week in review: March 24-30
Thursday, March 24
Six vehicles were stolen: at midnight in the 1800 block of Alcatraz Avenue (two vehicles); at 10:30 a.m. at Virginia and Second streets; at 5 p.m. in the 2100 block of Ward Street; at 5:30 p.m. in the 200 block of University Avenue; and at 8 p.m. in the 1100 block of Carleton Street.
There were two disturbance calls, at 1:58 a.m. in the 1900 block of Center Street, and at 1:20 p.m. in the 2200 block of Milvia Street.
UCPD arrested two men on suspicion of burglary, prowling and other violations at Unit 2, 2650 Haste St., at about 6:05 a.m.: Colby Dudley, 26, and Jason Harsha, 21. They were taken to Berkeley Jail. Dudley remains in custody and is scheduled for a procedural hearing April 27. Harsha remains in custody and appears to have been sentenced, according to Alameda County sheriff’s office records online. His next hearing was not listed.
There were two home burglaries, at 7 a.m. in the 2600 block of Webster Street, and at 5 p.m. in the 1700 block of 63rd Street.
Police arrested Davorre Cyrus at 10:30 a.m. on a warrant for a vehicle theft that occurred in 2015. He is no longer in custody but is set for a hearing to determine restitution May 10.
Friday, March 25
A vehicle was stolen at 9 a.m. in the 2500 block of Milvia Street.
There were three disturbances: at 10 a.m. in the 1800 block of San Pedro Avenue; at 2 p.m. in the 100 block of Seawall Drive; and at 6:30 p.m. in the 2000 block of San Pablo Avenue.
There was a home burglary at 10:45 a.m. in the 500 block of Hazel Road.
Someone stole a tan 1995 Honda Accord from the 300 block of West End Way between Friday at 11:30 p.m. and 11 a.m. Friday, UCPD reported.
Someone reportedly brandished a weapon at 12:15 p.m. in the 3200 block of Sacramento Street.
There was a commercial burglary at 4 p.m. in the 600 block of Cedar Street.
An incident on Fairview Street began as a domestic dispute sometime before 8:30 p.m. When police arrived, a man who was involved would not come out of an apartment. He stayed inside alone, and police thought he might have had a gun. Officers stayed on the phone with him trying to negotiate with him to come out peacefully, which he ultimately did, sometime before midnight. Berkeleyside tweeted developments live as they happened, and posted updates on Facebook.
Via UCPD: Someone stole a golf cart at 11:37 p.m. from Moffitt Library on the UC Berkeley campus, but it was recovered.
Saturday, March 26
There was an arson call at 5:03 a.m. in the 1000 block of Pardee Street.
A train operator at the downtown Berkeley BART station reported a male subject under a train at about 10:20 a.m. According to BART: “Officers and medical staff responded and located a person under the train. The person was declared deceased by medical personnel. Multiple officers responded to process the scene and interview witnesses. The coroner’s office responded to conduct their investigation and take custody of the body.” Berkeleyside first reported about the incident on Facebook. According to the East Bay Times, “James Wright, 58, of El Cerrito, either jumped or fell from a platform and onto the tracks … BART police said.”
UCPD received a report about a $6,000 burglary, via forced entry, from two rooms at North Gate Hall, the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, on the Cal campus at Euclid and Hearst sometime before 10:30 a.m. The case is listed as “under investigation.”
There was a felony assault or battery at noon in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
Sometime before noon, the Berkeley Fire Department responded to a major geyser at the BioFuel Oasis station on the corner of Ashby Avenue and Sacramento Street. Berkeleyside first reported the incident on Faceook.
The Berkeley Police Department and Berkeley Animal Shelter are investigating a cruelty to animals case that involved someone shooting five animals — a feral cat, an opossum and three raccoons — with what appears to be a type of pellet gun. The call came in at about 12:50 p.m. in the 100 block of Seawall Drive. Three of the animals were dead when found and two were suffering from unknown injury or illness. One of the two remaining animals died shortly after it arrived at the shelter, and the second animal was euthanized to keep it from suffering further. Read more on Berkeleyside.
A vehicle was stolen at 2 p.m. in the 2200 block of Fulton Street.
There were two commercial burglaries, at 2:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Harrison Street, and at 6:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Cedar Street.
There was a disturbance at 4:38 p.m. in the 3000 block of Garber Street.
There was a robbery at 11 p.m. in the 1900 block of University Avenue.
Authorities worked to beat the tide Sunday to remove a vehicle that crashed Saturday night into the Berkeley Marina and began leaking fluids into the water. Berkeley Police Lt. Andrew Rateaver said crews responded to the marina after a vehicle left the roadway, where University Avenue and Marina Boulevard split, shortly before midnight. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Sunday, March 27
There were three home burglaries: at 2 p.m. in the 2500 block of Buena Vista Way; at 5 p.m. in the 1700 block of 63rd Street; and at 11:59 p.m. in the 2900 block of Derby Street.
There was a commercial burglary at 3 p.m. in the 300 block of Cedar Street.
There was a disturbance at 6:04 p.m. at Allston Way and McKinley Avenue.
There was a felony assault or battery at 8:46 p.m. in the 1500 block of Berkeley Way.
Monday, March 28
Five vehicles were stolen: at 8 a.m. in the 2100 block of Parker Street; at 2:20 p.m. in the 1500 block of Eastshore Highway; at 6:30 p.m. at Bancroft Way and Warring Street; at 8 p.m. at Piedmont Avenue and Derby Street; and at 10 p.m. in the 2800 block of Parker.
The trial for Darnell Williams Jr., charged with killing a 22-year-old father of two and 8-year-old Alaysha Carradine, began in an Alameda County Superior Court. Read continuing coverage from Berkeleyside of the trial.
There was a commercial burglary at 10:15 a.m. in the 2500 block of Shattuck Avenue.
An Ashby BART station agent said a man with a metal crowbar tried to assault him at about 5:40 p.m. The agent was able to disarm the man and escape without injury, but the man left the area. Berkeley Police officers found the man at a nearby gas station and took him into custody. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and taken to jail. His name was not released; BART did not respond to a request for that information. (Berkeleyside first reported this incident in an earlier crime blotter for timeliness.)
There was a felony sexual assault at 7 p.m. in the 2400 block of Ashby Avenue.
There was a home burglary at 8:05 p.m. in the 700 block of Cragmont Avenue.
There was a disturbance at 9 p.m. in the 2400 block of Warring.
Police responded at 10:30 p.m. to a report of a sexual assault in the parking lot of the Seabreeze Market (University Avenue and Frontage) at Eastshore State Park. East Bay Regional Park District police interviewed the woman, who was treated and released from a local hospital. The man and woman knew each other. Police were working to find the man, said EBRPD spokeswoman Carolyn Jones. (Berkeleyside first reported this incident in an earlier crime blotter for timeliness.)
Tuesday, March 29
There was a home burglary at 1 p.m. in the 1500 block of Grizzly Peak Boulevard.
Someone reportedly brandished a weapon at 3:30 p.m. at Hearst Avenue and California Street.
A dramatic geyser of water erupted in downtown Berkeley before 4:30 p.m. due to a broken fire hydrant. Many Berkeleyside readers shared photographs of the geyser, and Paul Kealoha-Blake shared the following video. Reader Bret Hendry told us an AC transit bus struck a fire hydrant on Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley: “appears to be massive water loss.” Don’t miss the photos.
UCPD reported two robberies around campus. (Berkeleyside first reported these incidents in an earlier crime blotter for timeliness.)
At 7:16 p.m., a 19-year-old student was walking in the Ellsworth Parking Structure (at Haste Street) when two males approached him. One held his arms while the other went through his pockets and took his wallet and contents, valued at $50. Police couldn’t find the suspects. One was described as black, in his mid-20s, about 5 feet 10 with a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. The other was of unknown race with a red flannel shirt, tan cargo shorts and long white socks.
The next incident took place at 9:40 p.m. on Spieker Plaza, near the Octagon Bridge, when two women sitting on a bench asked to borrow the phone — a silver iPhone 6 valued at $500 — of an 18-year-old student. He agreed, but when he tried to get the phone back, they threatened him and ran off toward Shattuck Avenue. Police searched but could not find the women. One was described as black, in her 20s, about 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with an athletic build, wearing a gray sweatshirt and black pants, with brass knuckles. The other was an East Indian female, 19 to 20 years old, with braided hair wearing all black clothes. UCPD asks anyone with information to call 510-642-6760.
Wednesday, March 30
There were five home burglaries: at 4 a.m. in the 2900 block of Avalon Avenue; at 9:15 a.m. in the 2300 block of Derby Street; at 9:40 a.m. in the 1500 block of Scenic Avenue; at 1 p.m. in the 1600 block of Parker Street; and at 5:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Tunnel Road.
There was a disturbance at 8:17 a.m. in the 1400 block of Hawthorne Terrace.
There were three robberies: at 7:28 p.m. in the 2000 block of Oregon Street; at 8:12 p.m. at Allston Way and San Pablo Avenue; and at 11 p.m. at Blake and Fulton streets.
According to BPD: Two people in their 20s went into Berkeley Bowl, at 2020 Oregon, at 7:28 p.m. “They walked down the aisles grabbing steaks, beer and wine. The suspects walked past the checkout stands without attempting to pay for the goods. Two loss prevention agents confronted the two suspects outside the store and asked for the couple to return the stolen merchandise. The male suspect refused to give the food back and said, ‘You guys don’t want to get shot today.’ The loss prevention agents feared for their safety and allowed the suspects to leave on foot.”
The man, said police, appeared to be black, 6 foot 3 to 6 foot 4, and 200 pounds, with a light complexion. He was wearing a black leather-style ball cap, a blue zip-up jacket, dark-colored jeans and gray shoes. The woman was white and heavyset, about 5 foot 4. She was wearing a black shirt with the word “LOVE” in white lettering, and black boots.
BPD asks anyone with information about the couple to call 510-981-5900.
A vehicle was stolen at 10 p.m. in the 2700 block of Ridge Road.
Someone reportedly brandished a weapon at 10:09 p.m. at Durant and College avenues.
Berkeley public safety data resources
- The Berkeley Police Department incident log on CrimeMapping and CrimeView Community
- The UCPD crime log, also posted in brief on CrimeMapping, and UCPD crime alerts
- Local Crime News lists arrests of Berkeley residents (not by agency); BPD’s arrest log and booking log (new as of April 2016)
- Nixle public safety alerts, by email and text, from BPD and UCPD
- The Berkeley Police Department’s “calls for service” heat map
- Learn about what info BPD can release to the public
Please note: These 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. 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.
Related:
Police seek man after robbery of 70-year-old woman (04.14.16)
Authorities: Man admitted to killing, bargained with God, in secret recording by police (04.14.16)
Witnesses to fatal Berkeley attack did not see killer’s face (04.13.16)
Berkeley post office protesters cleared out in early morning raid (04.12.16)
Ex-girlfriend of accused killer: ‘I feel scared to this day’ (04.11.16)
Police arrest 1 after staff at Berkeley McDonald’s attacked (04.07.16)
Blotter: Gold-painted man arrested after hit-and-runs, fugitive arrested in TN, more (04.07.16)
Neighbors, police vow new push on crime prevention (04.05.16)
After latest shooting, neighbors talk public safety (04.05.16)
King Middle School reports suspicious activity (04.05.16)
Judge orders Williams trial to continue after defendant threatens suicide, violence (05.04.16)
Crime in Berkeley: Sexual assault at Seabreeze, hammer attack at Ohlone Park, more (04.01.16)
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