The 2021 Berkeley gunfire map
Berkeley has had 16 confirmed gunfire calls in 2021. Last year at this time, there had been six.
Crime & Safety
Did you see unusual police or fire activity? Send info, photos or video to crime@berkeleyside.org. Please provide time, date and location along with other relevant details. Time-sensitive tip? Please note: Sharing information grants Berkeleyside permission to publish it, unless you state otherwise.
Top Stories
Collisions near Cedar and Sacramento prompt neighborhood concerns
One neighbor, writing on Twitter, said there had been two serious crashes at the intersection in less than 24 hours, following a third bad crash several weeks prior.
Citing pattern of stolen vehicles near Grove Park, police urge caution
Car theft reports are up nearly 60% compared to last year. Police made two arrests over the weekend in connection with one of those cases.
Man charged with attempted sexual assault of UC Berkeley student
Gabriel Jordan is also facing separate rape charges from a 2019 attack in Oakland.
Woman charged with hate crime after calling 911 on Black Amazon driver
Police say the woman cursed at the man and used a derogatory term for Black people because she didn’t like his driving.
Berkeley man charged with sex crime series that spanned a year
Police said DNA linked the man to at least one of the crime scenes and that surveillance footage, cellphone video and witness identification also helped detectives crack the case.
Policing
Plans firm up to remove police from traffic stops, but it’s a long road ahead
State law does not currently allow civilian traffic enforcement, but Berkeley is working to change that.
Survey: Help shape ‘new paradigm of public safety’ in Berkeley
Now is the time to have your say about what policing in Berkeley should look like — especially if you’re not big on public meetings.
Berkeley leaders demand more data about ‘militaristic’ police equipment
Data about where police use rifles, launchers and other “controlled” equipment will now be public. Officials said it’s a matter of racial justice.
Police should track mental health, homeless calls better, new audit says
The 80-page analysis — the first known assessment of its kind — was published Thursday by city auditor Jenny Wong.
Nationwide search for new Berkeley police chief expected to take 6 months
The city says the process will focus on finding diverse candidates and that it will involve robust community engagement.
‘Alarming’ crime uptick brings local leaders together for Zoom town hall
“We must employ a variety of tactics to deter, intervene and investigate crimes,” West Berkeley Councilmember Terry Taplin said during Wednesday’s Zoom.
Homicide
$30,000 reward still on offer after Berkeley man’s unsolved killing
Patrick Demarco Scott Jr. was waiting for the bus near his Berkeley home when someone shot him repeatedly, killing him. He was on his way to see his grandmother.
After killing of Cal student, Berkeley man confessed, key witness says
An old friend of defendant Tony Walker said he confessed to a killing in June and had the same type of gun used in the crime just two days before the Seth Smith homicide.
4 feet 7 and feisty: Loved ones remember Sereinat’e Henderson
“We don’t lose people like that in our family,” Henderson’s cousin told Berkeleyside. “It was just like somebody had stabbed me in my heart.”
Berkeley hopes new Ceasefire program will curb violence
Citing an “alarming rise in shootings” this year, officials pledged Tuesday night to work to create a new Ceasefire program designed to “address gun violence” in Berkeley.
Shootings
Berkeley crime log: San Pablo Park gunfire, hate crime arrests, more
Police are reporting three more hate crime arrests in May, and there’s a new community survey out to seek input about the PRC.
Police investigate parked car struck by gunfire in northwest Berkeley
Police found bullet holes in a white sedan, and believe there were people inside the car when the gunfire broke out.
Patron threatens staff, fires gun outside Cornerstone bar
“Some people just thought it was kind of a joke and were not taking it seriously,” one patron said. “Some people started getting really scared and started calling family.”
Felon charged with stalking, gunfire in Berkeley
During the operation to arrest the man, police said they found a fully-automatic “ghost gun” with a loaded extended magazine hidden in his car.
Berkeley police investigate 2 unrelated reports of gunfire
Shootings have been on the rise in Berkeley since 2018: There have already been twice as many this year as there were in 2020.
Traffic safety
Man struck in roadway during mental health crisis, police seek driver
The driver left the area in what police described as a “lowered, dark-color, mid 90’s sedan, with tinted windows (possibly a Nissan Altima).”
Berkeley parents ask for safer streets after fatal crash near Cragmont school
As of this week, police say they still don’t know what caused the May 11 collision, which killed two people.
Crime log: Antisemitic hate crimes, violent robbery at Ohlone Park, more
Police arrested a man in connection with a series of antisemitic hate crimes in Berkeley, a local resident found a gun in his yard and more.
Fatal crash revives traffic safety concerns for Berkeley Hills neighbors
“It is a dangerous street,” one local resident told Berkeleyside. “It’s just sad that this occasion has made this come to people’s attention.”
Update: Man and woman who died in Berkeley Hills crash now identified
On Thursday, authorities identified the individuals who died as Anthony Rollins, 64, and Ruby Edwards, 57.
Driver crashes into Berkeley homeless camp, pins man under car
The driver may have lost control and struck a fence, trapping the man under her white Toyota sedan, first responders said over the radio.
Fatalities
2 men who died of suspected drug overdoses at Berkeley park identified
Police believe the deaths at Civic Center Park resulted from a “bad batch” of drugs laced with fentanyl.
2 men found dead in downtown Berkeley park, 1 man hospitalized
Police do not believe foul play was involved.
Kiovonni LaRoyce Lyles, 28, identified as man found dead at People’s Park
Lyles was inspired by Bay Area hip-hop music and hoped to be a producer.
Fire
Sirens that speak are coming to your Berkeley neighborhood
A dozen or more sirens are expected to be installed. They’ll be capable of broadcasting spoken evacuation messages targeted at individual neighborhoods.
12-year-old girl arrested after 4 suspected arson fires in Berkeley Hills
The girl, who was visiting family in Berkeley, was taken to the Alameda County Juvenile Hall in San Leandro.
Know your zone: A new system for wildfire evacuation is coming to Berkeley
A new evacuation software system called Zonehaven is scheduled to go live on June 15.
Crime trends
Cyclists report armed robberies of bikes while riding in the East Bay hills
“Our community needs to be made aware,” said a cyclist who asked to remain anonymous because the investigation is underway.
Police investigate robbery series that started in mid-March
Berkeley Police Chief Jen Louis said detectives have “some very promising investigative leads” and that she’s put extra officers on patrol.
Annual crime report sees shootings rise for the third straight year
The 2020 Berkeley crime report shows that shootings have risen as other crimes have dropped.
Berkeleyside interactive maps: Cyclist and pedestrian injury crashes in 2019
In recent weeks, Berkeleyside has been crunching the numbers for 11 months of injury-crash data from the Berkeley police. We’ve created interactive maps and pulled out highlights. Dive into the data.
Police review boards upheld 2 misconduct reports in 2018; 1 was overturned
Berkeley’s Police Review Commission sustained just two allegations of misconduct in 2018, and one was later overturned on appeal, according to the PRC’s annual report.
Sex crimes
Man, 28, faces felony sex crime charges after Berkeley assault
Christopher Szabo has a long list of arrests in Alameda County dating back to 2015, according to records online.
Man arrested after home invasion, attempted rape in Berkeley RV
Hugo Espinoza was on probation at the time of his arrest and, as of publication time, remains in custody, according to court records online.
Crime log: Guns seized, elders attacked, hate crime arrests, more
Police investigated two shootings, made two hate crime arrests and seized several guns during traffic stops. Strangers attacked two older women.
Police: Man arrested after following Berkeley teens; no charges filed
The man also followed women in several other cities, police said. He is no longer in custody and police are seeking additional witnesses.
Assaults
Berkeley crime log: Gunfire, Monterey Market carjacking attempt, more
Police are investigating an attempted carjacking outside Monterey Market, gunfire on Sacramento Street, and the violent attempted robbery of a dog during a walk on Channing Way.
Wanted man arrested after car chase; other stops net guns and drugs
Police reported several felony arrests this week and Berkeleyside also received multiple inquiries about an arrest Thursday night.
Attempted murder suspect charged with rape at Seabreeze homeless camp
A man police say used a metal bat to try to kill a younger man in September has now been charged with a rape at the Seabreeze homeless camp in August.
Woman, 21, attacked in Southside home during attempted rape
Police are asking the community to help find a man “with a muscular build” who attacked a 21-year-old woman in her Southside home early Sunday morning, threatening her with a gun and trying to sexually assault her.
Disaster preparedness
Update: Controlled burn postponed in Tilden
The burn was planned as part of the East Bay Regional Park District’s efforts to create a “strategic ridgeline fuel break” along Grizzly Peak Boulevard.
UC Berkeley removes hundreds of trees to ensure fire evacuation route
After years of opposition and lawsuits, Cal has succeeded in cutting down eucalyptus trees near campus.
Barriers go up along Grizzly Peak to cut down fire risk in Berkeley, Oakland
Crowds often gather in the popular turnouts and some people are setting off firecrackers.
Fireworks, ‘dangerous activity’ at Grizzly Peak has to end, residents say
The concerns are at an all-time high during a historically destructive fire season.
Recent stories
Police: Man with Molotov cocktails, machete arrested again in Berkeley
Police had been looking for Marty Schwind for a week, BPD said, after he had reportedly thrown a Molotov cocktail at a passing train.
