In the past month, Berkeley police officers have arrested a dozen people in connection with robberies around the city, with the most recent incident early Saturday just outside the police station. And last week alone, BPD arrested five people linked to robbery cases, including two men tied to an armed bank heist on Solano Avenue in February.
According to CrimeMapping.com, a clearinghouse for BPD data, the agency has had 28 robbery reports in the past 30 days. If that sounds higher than usual, it isn’t. Over the past six months or so, BPD averaged about 35 robberies every 30 days. What may be less typical in recent weeks is the high number of arrests the department has netted.
In the most recent incident, Saturday just after midnight, officers heard the sound of a female screaming on Addison Street, just north of the Public Safety Building, which houses the police department and fire department administration at 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Police Lt. Joe Okies said officers went to investigate and found the victim, who had just been robbed.
“At the same time, other officers responding to the incident saw a male on the same block, fleeing eastbound on Addison, towards Martin Luther King Jr. Way,” Okies said. Officers caught up with the man in the Nation’s Giant Hamburgers parking lot at 1800 University Ave. He was identified as 19-year-old Hernan Zavala. Okies said the follow-up investigation tied Zavala to the robbery, and he was arrested. Zavala is being held on $55,000 bail and is set to be arraigned Monday morning.
Other recent arrests in Berkeley include the following, according to the city of Berkeley’s open data portal, CrimeMapping, the Alameda County sheriff’s office and BPD.
March 22: Police arrested two felons Wednesday — Russell and Jerron Bartlow — in connection with a bank robbery case from earlier this year. On Feb. 9, police responded to Chase at 1870 Solano Ave. for a report of an armed robbery. The culprit left the bank in a security guard outfit, wearing all black clothing, according to unconfirmed scanner reports. Last week, police arrested 53-year-old Russell and 36-year-old Jerron in connection with that case. The elder Bartlow, whose listed occupation is a student, is being held on a combined $2.22 million bail in connection with two cases and a long list of violations including robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon, drug possession and more. The younger Bartlow, a truck driver, is also being held in connection with two cases on $410,000 bail. Police say he has been linked to cocaine sales, along with robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and other violations. They are being held at Santa Rita Jail and are scheduled for arraignment Monday, according to sheriff’s office records online. Berkeleyside has requested additional information from BPD.
March 21: Police arrested three men Tuesday after a robbery at about 8:30 a.m. at Channing Way and Telegraph Avenue. They were identified as Michael Myers, 41, Andrew Sterling, 22, and a 31-year-old man. All three were arrested on suspicion of robbery and vehicle theft. The 31-year-old does not appear to have been charged, and no further information about him was immediately available. Myers is no longer in custody and his only listed violation currently is a misdemeanor related to vandalism. Sterling appears only to have been charged with two misdemeanors related to vehicle theft and drugs.
March 14: Police arrested 49-year-old Lawrence Bustamante after a robbery at 1:05 a.m. in the 2100 block of Kittredge Street. Bustamante, a painter, remains in custody after being sentenced for identity theft, according to sheriff’s office records. He’s scheduled for a hearing in early April related to the revocation of his probation.
March 12: Police arrested Natasha Savelle, 27, on suspicion of assault with a caustic chemical and robbery at about 5:40 p.m. That incident happened Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at Center Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Savelle entered not guilty pleas in March in connection with felonies including robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. She is no longer in custody, having posted a bond for $75,000 bail.
March 11: Police arrested Audrey Barlow, 33, after a robbery at the CVS at 2655 Telegraph Ave. at 12:40 p.m. Police said Barlow reportedly “had stolen alcohol” while carrying what looked like a 3-foot 2-by-4 board over his shoulder. He remains in custody on $25,000 bail and could be sent to prison if convicted, according to sheriff’s office records online. Read the Berkeleyside story.
March 10: Police arrested David King, 58, at 10:10 a.m. after a robbery at the same CVS. He’s being held on $90,000 bail and has been charged with multiple felonies related to robbery, burglary, car theft and fleeing from police. Read the Berkeleyside story.
March 6: Police arrested Bryant Heard, 55, at about 6:10 p.m. after being called to the 2300 block of Shattuck Avenue for what was listed as a family offense. Heard was arrested on suspicion of robbery and other violations. According to records online, he has been sentenced for a misdemeanor and remains in custody.
March 4: Police arrested an 18-year-old Mostafa Diab just after 5 p.m. after a robbery in the 2700 block of Bancroft Way at 4 p.m. No charges appear to have been filed according to records online and he is no longer in custody.
Feb. 28: Police arrested Christian Tringali, 26, at about 1:30 a.m. after a robbery in the 2500 block of Durant Avenue. He remains in custody on a misdemeanor charge, according to online records from the sheriff’s office.
The BPD robbery detail can be reached at 510-981-5742.
