By Tracey Taylor and Emilie Raguso
First responders are at Shattuck Avenue between Channing Way and Haste Street following a collision that trapped someone under an overturned vehicle, authorities report. The victim was extricated and taken to the hospital, but additional details were not immediately available.
While responding to the crash, an officer spotted a man with a gun who they say had just robbed Radio Shack downtown at 2500 Shattuck. The robbery had not yet been reported to BPD. The man was detained after a brief chase.
Police also responded to North Berkeley for a crash involving four vehicles at 3:50 p.m., and a minor crash on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. No injuries were reported at either of those, said Sgt. Andrew Frankel with the Berkeley Police Department.
Police have closed the intersection at Shattuck and Haste, and say it is likely to remain closed for at least an hour, with traffic delays expected. (Update, 5:42 p.m.: The area was clear by around 5 p.m.)
According to Kenneth Stein, a witness on the scene at Shattuck and Haste, it appears someone had been trapped beneath the overturned vehicle.
According to preliminary information it’s possible the vehicle that overturned was speeding and may have run a red light. Unconfirmed reports suggest the person who was pinned under the car did not have life-threatening injuries.
Berkeley police issued a Nixle alert at 4:10 p.m. warning people to avoid Shattuck between Channing and Haste due to the crash.
Stein, who was in the King Dong restaurant nearby when the collision happened, said he heard an explosion and called 911 at 3:41 p.m. when he saw there had been a crash. He described the crash as very upsetting to see.
After the person in the car had been extricated, Stein said he spoke to a woman who came into the restaurant with her 10-year-old grandson. She said they had been with a dog in a white car that was involved in the crash. She asked if they could use the bathroom, but said they were all OK. Stein said people gave each other hugs.
This developing story was updated after publication.
