The 2021 Berkeley gunfire map
Berkeley has had 20 confirmed gunfire calls in 2021. Last year at this time, there had been 12.
Crime & Safety
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Top Stories
In brief
Teen missing from Southwest Berkeley located, returned home
The missing teen was located and returned to her family Wednesday, according to Berkeley police.
Berkeley pedestrian, 54, hit by police officer in vehicle
The victim spent one night at the hospital, but may need surgery.
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley is stepping aside
From victims’ rights to police accountability, O’Malley leaves a complex legacy. Her decision to not appoint a successor also creates the most open election for DA in decades–maybe ever.
A haunting photo led this yearbook teacher to uncover alleged sexual assaults at Berkeley High
Last March, Genevieve Mage saw a 2003 yearbook photo of her colleague Matthew Bissell inappropriately hugging a 17-year-old student. She couldn’t let it go.
As mass tree death worsens, East Bay parks get $10M for removal
About 1,500 acres of trees in the East Bay Regional Park District have been affected by a new die-off pattern that’s seen as dangerous during fire season.
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
Crime log: Gunfire, burglary sting, hate crime attack with guitar, more
A man took matters into his own hands when thieves burglarized his home, and more in the latest crime roundup.
Update: Detectives make high-risk ‘gun violence’ arrest on Acton Street
At 7:15 a.m., police used a loudspeaker to call for the suspect to come outside, then made the arrest without incident.
Berkeley police: 2 men with guns arrested after Cornerstone shooting
Investigators arrested both men in June and found an extensive cache of weapons at their homes, police said.
Internal review finds January police shooting ‘lawful’, but inquiry isn’t done
A final determination has not been made in the case: the Internal Affairs Bureau has not completed its report and the police chief has yet to weigh in.
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.
Traffic safety
He sought help for years for mental illness. It ultimately killed him.
Chuck Feezel had struggled since childhood with a constellation of physical and mental challenges that required serious psychiatric treatment.
Man dies after hit-and-run crash; police ask for help to find driver
Charles Franklin Feezel was taken to Highland Hospital with critical injuries and died 12 days later.
Collisions near Cedar and Sacramento prompt neighborhood concerns
One neighbor said there had been two serious crashes at the intersection in less than 24 hours, following a third bad crash several weeks prior.
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.
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.
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.”
Fire
Berkeley firefighters get $12.7M to tackle growing wildfire threat
Measure FF funds will allow the fire department to prepare for wildfires, and hire and train more staff.
Grizzly Peak Boulevard, viewpoints closed Fourth of July for fire safety
The closures will last through the Fourth of July and only Grizzly Peak Boulevard residents will be able to pass checkpoints.
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.
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
Suit claims former Berkeley High teacher sexually assaulted students for years, district covered it up
Shortly before the suit was filed, a district Title IX investigation found that former chemistry teacher and football coach Matthew Bissell engaged in a years-long pattern of inappropriate behavior.
Trackers Bay camp counselor arrested in child pornography investigation
According to Trackers Bay, neither camp programs nor campers “are involved in this matter in any way.”
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 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.
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
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.
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.
Recent stories
Man with guns in vehicle taken into custody in Southwest Berkeley
Police responded to Prince Street and found the man unresponsive in his vehicle, but he surrendered without incident about three hours later.
Gunfire investigation underway on Allston Way in Berkeley
At 5:40 p.m., BPD put out a community alert to advise people to avoid the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Allston due to police activity.
