Berkeley police arrested three young men with a gun after an attempted robbery Monday night near the UC Berkeley campus.
The incident happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. near Piedmont Avenue and Dwight Way.
According to a statement released by police this week, “The victim saw a car park just ahead of him” and became “suspicious when two men exited the car just as he passed it.”
He later told authorities he knew about a recent robbery spree near campus and “his suspicions continued to grow when he noticed that the two suspects were following him. The victim ran and the suspects followed with the suspect car paralleling them on the street.”
The victim called police and the men got back into their vehicle and drove off. An officer nearby, at University Avenue and Walnut Street, spotted a vehicle that matched the description broadcast over the radio.
He stopped the vehicle and the victim identified it and its occupants as the people who had been following him.
Police searched the car and found a handgun. Authorities arrested two 18-year-olds, from Vallejo and Oakland, and a 19-year-old from San Pablo.
They were booked into Berkeley Jail on suspicion of attempted robbery and weapons charges. (Update, 4:39 p.m. The individuals arrested are listed as Aaron Gallon, 19, Rondell Fluker, 18, and Grady Walker Jr., 18.)
Police ask anyone with information about the case to call the BPD Robbery Detail, via dispatch, at 510-981-5742.
The department shared the following safety tips for pedestrians out walking after dark:
- Pay attention to surroundings
- Travel in groups when possible
- Consider putting cellphones in a pocket while in transit
- Attempt to travel in well-lit, highly-populated areas when possible
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