A UC Berkeley student sustained minor injuries early Sunday morning when three men attacked him and tried to take his backpack near campus, authorities report.
The student was walking on Hearst Avenue, near Euclid Avenue in the Northside neighborhood, when a vehicle rolled up to him with its lights off at about 3 a.m., the University of California Police Department reported in a statement Wednesday.
“The vehicle stopped near the victim, three men jumped out and attacked him. One of the suspects tried to grab the victim’s backpack while the other suspects kicked him,” UCPD said. Suspect descriptions were not released.
The student held onto his bag until the robbers gave up and fled. He suffered minor injuries and later sought treatment at the University Health Center, UCPD said.
There have been 28 robberies reported near campus since Jan. 1, according to website CrimeMapping.com, a data repository for local crime reports. The vast majority of those robberies have taken place south of campus, in the Southside neighborhood, and west of campus, in downtown Berkeley.
Sunday’s robbery was the first that’s been reported north of campus since the start of the year, according to CrimeMapping.
About a mile west of Euclid and Hearst, however, a 32-year-old man was shot during a robbery on Vine Street in December. (He survived.) Police later released video footage of the shooting in an effort to find those responsible. Police have not yet made an arrest in that case, however.
UCPD put out several safety tips:
- UC Berkeley affiliates can use its free Night Safety Services
- Travel with a friend or in a group
- Be alert and aware of surroundings
- Keep electronic devices out of public view
- If a vehicle is involved, try to make detailed observations regarding its direction of travel, license plate, color, make/model, unusual characteristics (e.g., dents, bumper stickers, graphics, wheels, tinted windows, lifted/lowered), number of occupants, etc.
