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.
SNAPSHOT From June 23-29, there were reports of six robberies, seven burglaries, 24 assaults or batteries, one weapon-involved call and no sexual assaults, according to CrimeMapping.com. There were also 14 stolen vehicles, 14 disturbances and 26 auto break-ins or thefts from vehicles reported. Two robberies, two vehicle thefts and an assault, among other crimes, were reported on CrimeMapping to the University of California Police Department (UCPD); we’ve filled out the blotter with tidbits from the UCPD crime log. Arrested or charged individuals are presumed innocent. Find the June 23-29 round-up below.
Recent public safety news
PROBATION SEARCH NETS LOADED PISTOL Berkeley police arrested an Oakland man earlier this week after they stopped him for a vehicle code violation and found a loaded pistol under his seat, authorities report. The car stop took place Wednesday, July 13, at 11:25 p.m. in the 2100 block of Kittredge, said Lt. Kevin Schofield, a Berkeley Police spokesman, in response to a Berkeleyside query. The driver, Aaron Davis, had no valid driver’s license and was on probation, said Schofield. Police searched the vehicle and found the loaded gun. Davis was taken to Berkeley Jail and booked on suspicion of several firearm-related felonies and probation violation. He is scheduled for a hearing to revoke his probation Monday, according to online records from the Alameda County sheriff’s office. He remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $105,000.
The week in review: June 23-29
Thursday, June 23
Two vehicles were stolen, at midnight at Ward and Ellsworth streets, and at 4:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Stevenson Avenue.
Police arrested Chaisson Cradit, 30, in San Francisco in connection with a felony theft case from March 3 in the 800 block of Ashby Avenue. Cradit was arrested at 8 a.m. on suspicion of grand theft, having committed a felony while on bail, ID theft and false impersonation. He remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $165,000, according to online records from the sheriff’s office. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Sept. 8.
A city of Berkeley employee recovered a stolen golf cart at about 8:05 a.m. that had been taken from Cal Athletics. The employee returned the golf cart to Cal Athletics.
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There were five disturbance calls: at 9:20 a.m. in the 2900 block of Claremont Avenue; at 2:33 p.m. in the 1100 block of Delaware Street; at 5:09 p.m. in the 2900 block of Derby Street; at 6:20 p.m. in the 900 block of Contra Costa Avenue; and at 11:55 p.m. in the 1200 block of Francisco Street.
Someone stole a silver 1992 Toyota Camry from University Village (Fifth and Red Oak) sometime between June 20 at 6 p.m. and June 23 at noon, UCPD reports. Later in the day, a woman reported the theft of her green 1996 Honda Civic from the same area. The Civic was taken between June 21 at 7:30 a.m. and June 22 at 7:30 p.m.
An employee at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reported at about 1:25 p.m. having received “strange voicemails” earlier in the week. The case is under investigation, reports UCPD.
The Berkeley Fire Department responded to a fire on Center Street in downtown Berkeley that caused the evacuation of several buildings and backed up traffic in the area. The fire, reported at about 3:30 p.m., took place at 2124 Center St. between Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street at what used to be Sliderbar. Donna McCracken, deputy fire chief, said the fire broke out in a wall at ground level in the commercial building. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Numerous people called 911 to report the sound of possible gunfire in South Berkeley, near Dwight and MLK, and California and Russell, as well as other locations, starting at 11:35 p.m. Sgt. Kevin Reece of the Berkeley Police Department, in response to a Berkeleyside query, said several officers responded to check the area but had found nothing to show it had been gunfire.
Friday, June 24
Police arrested four people — beginning shortly after midnight — tied to a fraud report from May 24 in the 1000 block of Delaware Street. Arrested were Teena Alexander, 51; Tammy Forse, 38; Rashad Goosby, 38; and Ashley Hatfield, 32. All four remain in custody linked to several different cases. There’s one ID theft case involving Goosby ($225,000 bail), Alexander ($430,000 bail) and Hatfield ($165,000 bail) that was set for preliminary examination earlier this week. (Alexander and Goosby also faced a charge in that case related to possession of brass knuckles.) Forse is being held with a bail of $15,000 on a different matter linked to Hatfield; they were scheduled for a pretrial hearing in Fremont on Friday, July 15. Each of the four had a third case number listed, too. (None of those case numbers overlapped.) Berkeleyside requested information about the matter from the Alameda County district attorney’s office but did not hear back about it this week.
There was a commercial burglary at 2:04 a.m. in the 100 block of Bolivar Drive.
Two vehicles were stolen, at 3:53 a.m. in the 1400 block of Summit Road, and at 11 p.m. in the 1300 block of Ashby Avenue.
The Dona Spring Municipal Animal Shelter building, at 1 Bolivar Drive, was burglarized early Friday, said Lt. Andrew Rateaver, in response to a query from Berkeleyside: “ We got an alarm call about 6:20 a.m. Officers and Animal Shelter staff responded. No suspects were located. No animals were harmed or taken. Some electronics, including radios were taken. The investigation is ongoing, and there are potential leads.”
There was a home burglary at 11:45 a.m. in the 1600 block of 62nd Street.
We had a reader question just after noon about a possible methane leak on the south side of town. BPD investigated reports of a natural gas leak at 11:30 a.m. and ordered a “shelter in place” warning for a preschool near Seventh and and Bancroft. It turned out to be a false alarm.
A 19-year-old UC Berkeley student reported that a suspicious person followed her home at 2 p.m. He was described as a male (no age listed) who appeared black or Pacific Islander, and looked to be about 6 foot 3 with a heavy build, and had dark curly hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts. The case is under investigation, UCPD reports.
There was a robbery at 2:52 p.m. in the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue.
Berkeleyside got a reader report just after 3 p.m. about a hit-and-run, at Russell and Sacramento, causing property damage. Said another reader, three youths ran from the scene “ditching the late model Benz, at least one was a minor if not all. A concerned citizen/witness gave chase to one of suspects.” We’ve asked for info from BPD and will update this if it is provided.
Regarding the tweet that follows, a local resident tells us an elderly man on Ward east of Martin Luther King Jr. Way took his son’s car and drove down the sidewalk for about a block before crashing into a tree. The driver reportedly had been drinking, but Berkeleyside has not confirmed this with BPD.
Apparently if somebody crashes a car into your house in Berkeley, the cops just leave it there when they’re done. pic.twitter.com/e4m7YRljEY
— Blake Gentry (@blakegentry) June 24, 2016
There was a felony assault or battery at 9:45 p.m. at Fulton and Haste streets.
There was a disturbance at 10:11 p.m. at Milvia Street and Hearst Avenue.
An 18-year-old who was not a student was taken by ambulance at about 11 p.m. from Unit 2, Davidson Hall, to Summit Oakland for “alcohol related illness,” UCPD reports.
Saturday, June 25
There was a weapons call at 12:25 a.m. at Acton and Burnett streets. Police arrested Erik Newman, 44, on suspicion of possession of ammunition and being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. Newman is no longer in custody but he is scheduled to enter a plea Aug. 18, according to sheriff’s office records. He was released on $35,000 bail. Police found the ammunition on the floorboard of a vehicle after a misdemeanor hit-and-run, according to unconfirmed scanner traffic.
There were three robberies in BPD’s jurisdiction: at 3 a.m. in the 2100 block of Kittredge Street; at 9:48 a.m. in the 3000 block of Shattuck Avenue; and at 10:55 p.m. in the 2800 block of Adeline Street.
A reader told Berkeleyside, regarding the Shattuck Avenue call, that she’d been told a pregnant woman in a Lyft vehicle had been robbed of her bag by the driver, who had been “quite aggressive.” Berkeleyside asked BPD for the official story. Lt. Rateaver said officers determined it to have been a case of an apparent “disagreement between the driver and the fare.” Police were following up on investigative leads, he said.
Two men were injured during an armed robbery near Signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak Boulevard, police report. The University of California Police Department said three men in their 20s approached the men and a woman, who were near their car on Grizzly Peak at about 3:30 a.m. The 23-year-old woman and both men, age 25, were enjoying the view, said UCPD, when three men walked up to them. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Also according to UCPD, someone broke into three UC vehicles in the Unit 1 loading dock and stole property worth $1,000. The auto burglaries took place between Friday at 11:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
There was a disturbance call at 3:49 p.m. in the 2300 block of Bonar Street.
Berkeley police officers conducted an extensive search after receiving a report of a man in the area witnesses believed to have been carrying a rifle. Ultimately, officers found no one matching that description, said Lt. Alyson Hart of the Berkeley Police Department. “It’s a call that we take extremely seriously,” she said. “It’s an unusual call, but you never know.” Read more on Berkeleyside.
There was an arson call at 7 p.m. in the 800 block of Shattuck Square.
There was a home burglary at 8:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Dana Street.
A 19-year-old student gave UCPD a secondhand report about an attempted strong-arm robbery between 10 and 11 p.m. at the entrance of Unit 2, Towle Mini-suites.
Sunday, June 26
There was a noise-related disturbance at 1:06 a.m. in the 2700 block of Channing Way, and a disturbance (unspecified type) at 8:17 p.m. in the 1700 block of Rose Street.
A man sought treatment at the hospital after being assaulted on Grizzly Peak Boulevard about 24 hours after a robbery in the same vicinity, police reported. No one has been arrested. According to a statement released by the University of California Police Department, the agency received a report earlier in the day about an aggravated assault at either Signpost 15 or 16 on Grizzly Peak. The male victim, whose age was not disclosed, had been at the turnout with some friends when a fight broke out between his group and another group between 3:39 and 4:09 a.m. Read more on Berkeleyside.
There were two home burglaries, at 8 a.m. in the 1000 block of Oxford Street, and at noon in the 1900 block of Channing Way.
A reader reported a dog attack at the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park at Ashby Avenue. BPD had no record of the incident, but said the East Bay Regional Park District might know more. In the meantime, the witness shared this report about what took place: “There were a lot of us that witnessed 3 pit bulls attack a small dog, we were just leaving. But it seemed significant enough that someone might have called authorities. Hoping the little dog survived, but it seemed like a violent attack. All went down around 11-11:30am.” The witness posted more information on Instagram.
A thief broke into a red 2002 Toyota pick-up parked at Signpost 28 on Grizzly Peak and stole two backpacks and an iPad, all of which were valued at $750. The theft took place between 9:15 and 11:33 a.m., UCPD reports.
The Berkeley police bought out our entire stock of lemonade: pic.twitter.com/Cuw9sCFOxE
— Kester Allen (@kesterallen) June 26, 2016
A BART Police officer and a sergeant spoke with a man who they found too intoxicated to care for himself at the downtown Berkeley station at 6:45 p.m. He was booked into the Glenn Dyer Jail on suspicion of public intoxication.
There was an arson call at 8:25 p.m. in the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue.
Two vehicles were stolen, at noon at Russell and Sacramento streets, and at 1 p.m. in the 3100 block of Telegraph Avenue.
There was a felony assault or battery at 8:01 p.m. in the 900 block of Addison Street.
There was a commercial burglary at 11:42 p.m. in the 2200 block of Shattuck Street.
Monday, June 27
President Barack Obama pledged to send a new commemorative coin to Betty Reid Soskin — who founded Reid’s Records on Berkeley’s Sacramento Street in 1945 and is the oldest full-time National Park ranger — after a burglar stole the one Obama gave her in December. An intruder broke into Soskin’s apartment in Richmond around midnight. The Richmond Police Department said Soskin, who is 94, was asleep when she was woken up by an intruder in her bedroom. “She tried to grab her cellphone to call for help but the suspect wrestled it away,” said Lt. Felix Tan of RPD. “The suspect then punched her several times in her face, causing her to fall to the floor.” Read more on Berkeleyside.
There was a home burglary at 12:27 a.m. in the 2800 block of Milvia Street.
There were two reports of smashed Honda Pilot windows at the Berkeley Art Museum between 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. A thief stole a black rolling bag valued at $275 from a 2014 Pilot. There was no loss from the other vehicle, a 2015 Pilot. UCPD is investigating.
Berkeley Fire responded to an alarm at Pacific Steel, 1333 Second St., for a wood pallet on fire shortly before noon. It was extinguished quickly, we’re told.
Local and federal authorities investigated threats targeting youth at a North Berkeley middle school by a group that demanded the termination of a teacher who had protested against a neo-Nazi rally in Sacramento over the weekend. Read more on Berkeleyside.
Two vehicles were stolen, at 1 p.m. at Dana and Dowling Place, and at 8 p.m. in the 1800 block of Harmon Street.
There was a disturbance at 9:15 p.m. in the 3100 block of Acton Street.
Tuesday, June 28
There were two robberies, at 1:15 a.m. at College Avenue and Parker Street, and at 9:50 p.m. in the 1500 block of Hearst Street.
There were two felony assaults or batteries, at 8:15 a.m. at Delaware and Eighth streets, and at 11 p.m. at Shattuck Avenue and Kittredge Street.
In the first incident, police arrested 44-year-old Min Cha on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. She was released on her own recognizance and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Aug. 9 at Wiley Manuel Courthouse, according to sheriff’s office records.
There were two disturbance calls, at 9:48 a.m. in the 2000 block of Kittredge, and at 2:10 p.m. in the 600 block of Creston Road.
Three vehicles were stolen: at 12:51 p.m. in the 3100 block of Eton Avenue; at 6 p.m. in the 1800 block of 63rd Street; and at 8 p.m. in the 2600 block of Cedar Street.
UCPD helped BPD with the apprehension of two battery suspects at Telegraph and Durant at about 5:45 p.m., UCPD reports. The call is listed in the BPD calls for service log as a misdemeanor assault in the 2300 block of Telegraph.
A Berkeley Lab employee reported to UCPD that his vehicle had been damaged by a golf ball. He discovered the damage at about 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 29
BFD responded to extinguish a trash can fire at People’s Park at 3:22 a.m. The person responsible was described as someone of unknown gender, 30-40 years old, with long blond hair wearing a light-colored sweater and dark pants, and carrying a brown messenger bag.
A BART officer conducted a welfare check on a 35-year-old man at the downtown Berkeley station at about 10:15 a.m. and found him to have a $50,000 warrant for misdemeanor theft. The man, Marco Guiza, was booked into the Berkeley City Jail for the warrant. Guiza remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $100,000 and was scheduled to begin jury trial proceedings Friday, July 15, in a misdemeanor case involving battery and sexual battery charges, according to sheriff’s office records online.
There were two disturbance calls, at 11 a.m. in the 1300 block of Gilman Street, and at 11:39 a.m. in the 1200 block of Haskell Street.
Shared Services, at 1608 Fourth St., reported “property damage to skylight via drones” at 3:36 p.m.
There were three vehicles stolen: at 3:45 p.m. in the 2400 block of Ridge Road; at 4 p.m. in the 400 block of Grizzly Peak Boulevard; and at 11 p.m. in the 2300 block of Ward Street.
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
- Listen to the police scanner online
- 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
- BPD on Twitter: Chief Meehan, spokesman Sgt. Frankel, Officer Byron White
- BPD on Facebook: Coming soon! (supposedly)
- See what the Berkeley Safe Neighborhoods Committee (BSNC) is up to
- Learn about what info BPD can release to the public
- Find your area coordinator to ask about neighborhood issues (but don’t forget to tip Berkeleyside, too!)
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:
Man kisses 2 UC Berkeley students without consent; police seek other victims (07.13.16)
Crime calls: Gunfire on Stuart, battery arrest, psych eval (07.13.16)
Crime log: Man threatens to shoot BART agent, 2 stabbed, tragic drowning (07.12.16)
Man arrested at BART after knife threats, shirt burning (07.11.16)
Robber punches woman in North Berkeley, takes bag (07.11.16)
Authorities: DNA, prints match 2008 sex assaults where rapist broke in with knife, gun (07.08.16)
Police: Fingerprints link man, 24, to 2008 sexual assault series with at least 3 victims (07.08.16)
‘Severe traffic alert’ in the East Bay due to tractor trailer fire, fuel spill (07.08.16)
Man walking with loaded rifle, extra ammo arrested in West Berkeley (07.06.16)
Crime log: Aquatic Park search, man sentenced after stabbing, bike thefts at BART (07.06.16)
Man arrested outside Berkeley Whole Foods after brandishing knife, resisting arrest (07.05.16)
UC Berkeley student among those killed in Bangladesh terrorist attack (07.02.16)
BFD responds to vegetation fire in the hills (06.30.16)
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