The 2021 Berkeley gunfire map
Berkeley had at least 50 confirmed gunfire calls in 2021. In 2020, there were 41 confirmed calls, but more of them resulted in injuries or fatalities.
Crime & Safety
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Top Stories
Police: Student who brought replica gun onto BHS campus arrested after large fight downtown
The BB gun had a “steel slide and polymer frame” and “all the visible markings of a real handgun,” police said.
Update: Man, 18, shot on Sacramento Street in South Berkeley
Monday night’s shooting was the second confirmed incident of gunfire in Berkeley this year.
Berkeley Marina boat dwellers evacuated due to tsunami advisory
The order came after an underwater volcano erupted near Tonga.
House fire on Bateman Street leaves Elmwood man displaced
The fire, in the 3000 block of Bateman (near Prince Street), appears to have started in the kitchen. There were no reported injuries.
BPD to review inebriated man’s death after release from police custody
The Police Accountability Board has indicated plans to launch its own independent investigation.
Policing
Citing uptick in shootings, council votes for new security cameras in 4 districts
The camera proposal was just one part of a $5 million funding package designed to address traffic safety, social services and more.
Residents favor shifting some police duties to unarmed staff, new survey says
A city consultant asked 630 Berkeley residents for their views about public safety and transportation. Here’s what they said.
Officials vow to increase police staffing, with available officers at historic low
The pledge came amid a lengthy discussion on the annual crime report, use-of-force and police stop data, traffic collision statistics and more.
Officials say security cameras could help curtail gun violence in West Berkeley
Some community members say the cameras will turn Berkeley into a “surveillance city” while others say they are sick of the violence.
New police oversight board now has broader powers for misconduct inquests
In July, the city’s new Police Accountability Board kicked off, replacing the longstanding Police Review Commission, which was formed in 1973.
Berkeley looks at $7M earmark for expanded mental health services
Most of the money is for a new Specialized Care Unit that would respond instead of armed police to people in crisis.
Homicide
A ‘poser’ with something to prove: Jury finds Will Watson guilty of murder
“It doesn’t really feel like a relief yet, but it does feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders,” the victim’s mother told Berkeleyside.
Family still grieves after Berkeley killing: ‘We’re nowhere near healed’
A court hearing this week was the latest reminder for Diante Craig’s family of a loss that continues to feel senseless.
Defendant in Berkeley road rage killing seeks release without bail
Hosea Askew does not dispute that he shot Diante Craig, 29, last year, but his account has shifted. Askew’s attorney says it was self-defense.
Berkeley homicide suspect who fled to Mexico in 2010 is back in jail
The Border Patrol arrested Kevin Alvarado in late July and sent him back to Alameda County to face murder charges.
Shootings
Police seize gun, 100 fake MacBook Pro laptops during arrest of shooting suspect
Witnesses provided information that led to the identification of the suspect, BPD said Friday.
Police: Man with assault rifle arrested after gunfire at 62nd and King streets
“It’s just unreal what that one block has had to go through,” said South Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett.
Man charged with Aquatic Park shooting after police find loaded gun in his toilet
A 37-year-old Berkeley man had been walking in Aquatic Park when a stranger confronted him, pistol-whipped him and shot him as he fled.
More Berkeley shootings: 1 breaks home window, 1 at cannabis dispensary
BPD handled three shooting investigations since Friday, including one that broke a woman’s window. Police do not believe she was targeted.
Berkeley police investigate gunfire on Fairview Street
Officers found indications that shots had been fired, BPD said.
Traffic safety
Police arrest hit-and-run suspect found hiding in hotel room
A 58-year-old Berkeley man was charged with vehicular hit-and-run causing injury, driving without a license and parole violation.
DoorDash should stop texting its drivers while they’re moving, wrongful death lawsuit says
“If they don’t revise their practice of texting drivers while driving with unmounted cellphones,” said Mark Webb, “there will be more accidents.”
Path Wanderers co-founder on the mend after driver hit her in crosswalk
A driver struck 90-year-old Jacque Ensign as she walked on Marin Avenue near her North Berkeley home earlier this month.
Cyclist and pedestrian sent to hospital after separate car crashes on Marin
The crashes took place Thursday and Friday just one block apart.
CHP: Driver ‘doored’ cyclist before crash that left her with major injuries
The woman, a 43-year-old mother, was on her way to meet her husband and their three children for lunch when the crash happened.
Woman, 75, now in ICU after driver struck her in Berkeley Hills crosswalk
The pedestrian was crossing at Marin and Euclid avenues when the driver, who was coming down the hill, struck her in the crosswalk, police said.
Fatalities
Update: Richmond man found dead on Ashby Avenue was killed by driver
Authorities have identified the man who died Nov. 17 as Angel Barrera of Richmond. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Update: Man who died in marina crash ID’d as James Israel of San Anselmo
“We hope the coroner’s investigation and autopsy may reveal more,” police said Thursday.
‘Ride on, Grandpa John’: A tribute to the man, 81, who died biking in Berkeley
John Carothers died doing what he loved: riding his bicycle on a sunny day, enjoying a beautiful October afternoon in the Bay Area.
Fires
She tore up burning roof shingles bare-handed to douse 1905 Berkeley fire
Mary Shaplin, who was recovering from an illness, jumped into action when the roof of her neighbor’s adjoining house in downtown Berkeley caught fire more than a century ago.
No, wildfire season in Berkeley isn’t necessarily over yet
This month’s rains helped tamper down fire danger, but experts say the East Bay is not out of the woods yet.
City grapples with housing crisis, fire danger as it writes rules for ADUs in hills
New state laws require swift approval for many ADU projects. Should those rules be more strict in areas facing wildfire risk?
Crime trends
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.
‘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.
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.
Sex crimes
Alert parking officer helps cops catch sexual battery suspect on Shattuck
Jodonnell Powell Jr. was also charged with sexual battery in 2019 but the case was dropped when the victims could not be found, court records show.
Police: Sex offender who posed as cop, followed girls has been arrested
Police say the man — a sex offender convicted of child molestation — approached three teenage girls in Berkeley beginning in August.
Cop impersonator accosts another teenage girl in Berkeley, asks for hug
The man claimed to have a knife and said he wanted a hug. Police say he did something similar in September to a girl on Gilman Street.
Half-naked man arrested on suspicion of rape attempt, home break-in
Police were investigating a report of a prowler outside a teenage girl’s window when a neighbor began screaming about a stranger in her home.
Assaults
Police ask for help to solve North Berkeley stabbing, attempted robbery
The 23-year-old Berkeley man was walking home when four men demanded his property, then stabbed him when he fought to keep it.
Police: Man with knife shatters window at Bobby G’s Pizzeria, scares patrons
The man hurled two rocks, shattering the window and injuring a man’s shoulder, before he was arrested, police said.
Man charged with attempted sexual assault of UC Berkeley student
Gabriel Jordan is also facing separate rape charges from a 2019 attack in Oakland.
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.
Disaster preparedness
A lesson in how to escape wildfire by foot in the Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Path Wanderers Association held an educational “Escape from the Hills” event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Oakland-Berkeley Hills Firestorm.
Berkeley to Nixle users: Sign up now for AC Alert if you haven’t already
Berkeley will no longer funnel messages from AC Alert to Nixle to prevent redundant messages and confusion, the city announced.
How seniors and people with disabilities can prepare for wildfires
Issues with mobility, hearing, vision, frailty and intellectual or developmental disabilities make emergency preparedness more challenging. Preparation can help and may save lives.
East Bay park district disputes fire agency’s effort to dictate wildfire management policy
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District has cited the East Bay Regional Park District for code violations, but does it have authority to do so?
Related stories
Crime roundup: Ghost guns, felony assault with metal can, armed robbery
Police seized several more ghost guns in recent weeks, along with 10 ounces of cocaine and nearly $7,000 cash discovered after a shoplifting call at REI.
UC Berkeley revokes recognition of 3 fraternities due to hazing activities
Chi Phi and Theta Delta Chi have lost their official status until 2026 and Sigma Alpha Epsilon has lost its status until 2029.
In brief
Survivor of Berkeley balcony collapse dies in Ireland
Aoife Beary died Saturday after suffering a stroke. She was among 13 people who fell from the balcony on June 16, 2015.
