In the past week or so, the University of California Police Department has put out community alerts about three robberies, an attempted robbery and an assault with a deadly weapon in Berkeley.
Two of those incidents took place Friday. Just before noon, police were called to Café Strada, at Bancroft Way and College Avenue, for a strong-arm robbery: “The male victim, unknown affiliation, was in the café when both suspects entered the café together. The victim was using his laptop when one of the suspects stole it off the table. Both suspects fled the café on Bancroft as the victim chased after them. One of the suspects stopped and knocked the victim to the ground causing minor injuries. The suspects fled into a University parking garage. One was stopped by a group of good Samaritans while the other was able to flee the area.”
UCPD did not release any information about the robber who was stopped, but described the pair as a 17-year-old black male, and a black man in his 20s, 5 foot 8, with a thin build and short hair. That was a Berkeley Police Department case, UCPD said. (BPD said Tuesday that the arrested person was a minor, so no further information was releasable.)
Later in the night, a UCPD security patrol officer was flagged down by a student who was in the Boalt Hall parking lot at 10:20 p.m. “when he was approached by two male suspects who robbed him of his property via gun. The victim was not hurt during the encounter. UCPD searched the area but could not locate the suspects.”
The suspects were described as a 22-year-old black man, 5 foot 10, with a dark complexion, wearing a black beanie, black shirt, black jacket with a red stripe, dark pants and shoes. The other individual, also described as black, was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with white writing and “acid wash” jeans.
The prior Monday, Oct. 9, there was a robbery at 10:50 p.m. at Channing Way and Ellsworth Street: “The three suspects took the male victim’s wallet, phone and backpack. The suspects were last seen in a white vehicle heading eastbound on Channing. The victim was not physically injured during the encounter. The affiliation of the victim is unknown. BPD searched the area but could not locate the suspects or the suspects’ vehicle.” Minimal suspect description was provided by authorities. That was also a BPD case.
Earlier that day, at 4:15 p.m., UCPD said there was an attempted robbery just outside the Crossroads Student Dining Hall: “A male student was walking towards the entry doors to the dining hall when he was approached by two male suspects. The suspects began beating the victim while attempting to rob him. A third suspect standing nearby called a fourth suspect who was driving a red four door vehicle. All four suspects left the area in the vehicle. The victim suffered minor injuries. UCPD and BPD searched the area but could not locate the suspects or the suspects’ vehicle.”
The suspects were described as a Hispanic male, 18 to 20 years old, with black hair; a black male, 18 to 20, 5 foot 9 with a thin build, wearing a gray jacket; a black male (no further description); and a Hispanic female, about 16 to 18, with a thin build.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, UCPD was called to a local emergency room for an assault with a deadly weapon: “Earlier in the day, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the unaffiliated male victim was in People’s Park when he was assaulted with 2×4 piece of wood and a frozen bottle of water by the female suspect. The victim suffered head injuries.” UCPD could not find the suspect, who was described as a black woman, 30-40 years old, with dark skin and black hair, 5 feet 7 and 150 pounds, wearing faded jeans and gray top.
The Berkeley Police Department can be reached at 510-981-5900 for tips about crimes within its jurisdiction, and UCPD can be reached at 510-642-6760.
Update, Oct. 17: UCPD arrested Ranette Ivery, 36, in the People’s Park incident on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism. She was taken to John George Psychiatric Hospital in Castro Valley for a psychiatric evaluation, then taken Oct. 9 to Santa Rita Jail, UCPD said. She set for a pretrial hearing Monday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse, and is being held on $40,000 bail.
