A teenager walking in South Berkeley was robbed of his cellphone Monday by two teenagers who threatened to have a gun, authorities report.
Police said the victim was walking at Russell and California streets just before 6 p.m. Monday when the iPhone robbery took place.
Both suspects are believed to have been juveniles, police said.
A woman wrote to Berkeleyside earlier in the week to ask about the robbery. She said it was her brother, a Berkeley High student, who was robbed. She said he was walking with a friend when the robbery happened.
“It’s getting out of control as kids are scared to walk our beautiful Berkeley streets,” she told Berkeleyside. “It’s scary to have people in our community that continue to hurt our kids.”
In March, according to CrimeMapping.com, police also received reports in the neighborhood of a robbery in the 1600 block of Ashby Avenue; the brandishing of a weapon in the 2900 block of Dohr Street; and a felony assault or battery at Russell Street and McGee Avenue.
BPD Lt. Kevin Schofield said earlier this week that detectives are “actively pursuing leads.” He said the robbery involved “threats of a gun,” but did not indicate a weapon was actually seen. Suspect descriptions were not released.
Police said limited information can be released at this time.
Citywide, there have been reports of at least 21 robberies to the Berkeley Police Department in March, according to CrimeMapping.com.
