The California Highway Patrol reports that the Ashby Avenue on-ramp to eastbound Interstate 80 in Berkeley will be closed until about 4 p.m. after a traffic collision Wednesday morning.
Sean Wilkenfeld
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Stolen truck owners lead alleged thief into CHP custody
The owners of a stolen truck managed to trick the apparent thief into driving straight into the CHP parking lot Tuesday after the Berkeley man tried to sell the owners diapers on the street, authorities report. Oakland California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said 49-year-old Brett Walker of Berkeley stole a pick-up truck (above) from […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
On the road with the CHP: Your questions answered
Last week, Berkeleyside spent a couple hours with the California Highway Patrol to get a sense of what a normal day on I-80 is like for these officers. There are about 100 officers with the Oakland CHP branch, and they handle the freeways from the southern Oakland border up through Berkeley until Richmond. Carpool violations, cellphone violations, […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
CHP chase through Berkeley ends with vehicle on fire
California Highway Patrol officers arrested a Berkeley man early Wednesday morning after chasing him for more than an hour through two counties from I-880 to the Caldecott Tunnel. Oakland CHP spokesman Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said the man refused to get out of his vehicle even after it caught on fire. Police ultimately used a K-9 [police dog], which bit […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
To curtail camping, Caltrans builds new fence on Gilman
In the latest attempt by authorities to keep people from camping in Berkeley beneath the Interstate 80 freeway, Caltrans built a stronger fence on Gilman Street this week. Homeless campers, many of whom came from the Albany Bulb, have said the freeway offers shelter in the rainy months, and feels like their place of last resort. For […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Man charged after chase, stolen van crash in Berkeley
An Oakland man has been charged with felony car theft and reckless driving during a police chase into Berkeley earlier this month. Alonzo Choyce, 30, was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing. According to the California Highway Patrol, Choyce was driving a 2016 Ford van at 23rd and Martin Luther […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
Authorities clear out Gilman homeless camp in Berkeley
In a coordinated effort, workers from Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and the city of Berkeley cleared out a large homeless encampment on Gilman Street near the I-80 freeway on Thursday. It’s the latest chapter in a struggle that has been going on for years between homeless denizens who have set up their tents on Gilman in West […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Motorcycle rider injured in collision on I-80 in Berkeley
A traffic accident on Interstate 80 west of University Avenue in Berkeley on Thursday morning sent a motorcycle rider to the hospital with major injuries, according to authorities. At approximately 6:20 a.m., Oakland CHP units responded to a collision on the westbound lanes of I-80 west of University, according to Officer Sean Wilkenfeld, spokesman for […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Crash in West Berkeley sends pedestrian to Highland
A male pedestrian was taken to Highland Hospital with major injuries Friday after being struck by a vehicle on the Gilman Street off-ramp from westbound Interstate 80. The California Highway Patrol said the man’s name is not being released “due to the severity” of his injuries, and “until he is medically stable.” According to the CHP, […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Motorcyclist dies after crash on I-80 in Berkeley
Update, Nov. 6: The motorcycle rider was identified as 44-year-old Kelly Wayne Dew of Benicia. His cause of death was blunt injuries, according to the Alameda County coroner’s office. Original story, Oct. 23, 1:45 p.m. A man on a motorcycle died Friday morning after running into a minivan on Interstate 80 in Berkeley, the California Highway Patrol has […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
CHP arrests man with stolen truck after carpool violation
Officers arrested a man in a stolen truck after he was spotted driving solo through a Berkeley carpool lane, authorities said. Thursday at about 8:35 a.m., a California Highway Patrol officer on Interstate 80 near Gilman Street was on the lookout for carpool violators when he saw a man alone in a Ford pickup truck using […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Concord man captured, after CHP chase into Berkeley, has history of erratic driving, high-profile arrests
A Concord man who drove the wrong way on the freeway, and fled from authorities after causing a traffic collision in Berkeley on May 18, was arrested early Wednesday morning. The California Highway Patrol arrested Jerome Wingert, 32, at around 3:10 a.m. at a Berkeley hotel. The arrest was made by CHP officers with assistance from Berkeley […]