A fight broke out Wednesday evening in the Southside neighborhood near UC Berkeley between skateboarders and local residents, sending one person to the hospital with a head injury, according to official and unofficial reports.
Berkeley Police Lt. Angela Hawk said the “group fight” took place just after 7 p.m. at Channing Way and Piedmont Avenue. The location listed on the police radio was south of Channing Way and north of Haste Street.
The fight began when “some skateboarders” trespassed at a nearby home, then got into an argument and fight with residents there, said Hawk.
One person was taken by ambulance to the hospital but was expected to survive, Hawk said. According to unconfirmed radio traffic, the person received a head injury. There were reports that a skateboard and brick were brandished during the fight, but Hawk said police were “unable to determine if any weapon was involved.”
Police were not able to say, as of publication time, whether the injured party was in the skateboarding group or one of the local residents.
One person told Berkeleyside about seeing “five cop cars parked at Channing Circle” as of about 8 p.m., and also said a neighbor described “a fight involving about 10” people. Another person reported having seen four police cars that “zoomed down Dwight in downtown” at about 7 p.m.
According to radio traffic, multiple people called police to report the fight. According to those unconfirmed reports, at one point, a person with a brick was arguing with someone who had a skateboard.
Another reader who went to the scene shortly after hearing first-responder sirens in the neighborhood saw what appeared to be broken building tiles on the ground near police officers who were conducting interviews. A BPD officer or evidence technician was photographing the broken tiles, she said.
All involved parties were identified and cooperated with police, Hawk said.
The follow-up investigation is still underway, she said.
