Victim Hit with Gun in Robbery Next to UC Berkeley Campus

A man sitting on steps on Bancroft Way across the street from the UC Berkeley main campus sustained minor injuries early Thursday morning when he struck with a gun by a robber who took the victim's laptop, according to UC Berkeley police.

The 38-year-old victim was sitting on the steps in front of Urban Outfitters at 2590 Bancroft, less than a block from the UC police department, about 2:04 a.m. when he was approached a man who demanded the victim's property and pointed a gun at him, campus police said in a "crime alert."

The robber eluded a search by officers from UC Berkeley and the City of Berkeley police, police said.

It was one of several recent street robberies in Berkeley.

Two hours earlier and three blocks away, an employee of the Cream ice cream shop at Telegraph Avenue and Channing Way was punched and received minor injuries while chasing a robber who had just taken an iPad in a robbery at the shop, according to campus police. That robber two escaped.

About 8:30 the previous night, Tuesday, a 21-year-old female UC Berkeley student was assaulted and received minor injuries in a robbery near the high-rise dorms in the south-of-campus area, police said. Those two robbers – a male and a female in their teens – also escaped.

Berkeley has seen a spike in street robberies this year, including near the Cal campus. See the bottom of this article for links to related stories on Patch.

Below is the police crime alert, with a description of the suspect, in the Bancroft Way armed robbery:

Armed Robbery

BPD report number 13-71993

On Thursday, December 12th, 2013 at approximately 2:04 a.m. a robbery occurred on the 2500 block of Bancroft.  The 38 year old male victim, affiliation unknown, was sitting on the steps in front of Urban Outfitters.  The suspect approached the victim and demanded his property.  The suspect was armed with a gun and pointed it at the victim.  The suspect struck the victim with the gun and took the victim’s laptop.  The suspect fled the area eastbound on foot.  BPD and UCPD searched the area but could not locate the suspect.  The victim sustained minor physical injuries during the encounter.

The suspect is described as:
A Black male in his 40s, 5’8”- 5’10” in height, 180-200 lbs., with a medium to dark complexion, wearing a black beanie and a dark blue jacket.

If you have any information about this crime, please contact: 

Berkeley Police Department
(510) 981-5900 / 24 Hours

Related articles:

• Employee Punched in Ice Cream Shop Robbery 2 Blocks from Cal Campus (Dec. 13, 2013)
• Female UC Student Attacked, Robbed – Suffers Minor Injuries (Dec. 12, 2013)
• North Berkeley Carjacking, Police Chase, Another Car Damaged (Nov. 20, 2013)
• UC Student Uses Skateboard to Resist 2 Robbers on Campus (Nov. 18, 2013)
• Suspects in Berkeley Armed Robbery Nabbed in Albany after Pursuit (Nov. 12, 2013)
• Suspect Nabbed after Armed Street Robbery (Nov. 7, 2013)
• Cal Student Attacked by 4 Males in Robbery Attempt on Campus (Nov. 1, 2013)
• Woman Robbed of Cell Phone near Cal Campus (Nov. 1, 2013)
• Female Student Slapped, Robbed on Cal Campus (Oct. 23, 2013)
• UC Police Beefing Up Patrols After Rash of Robberies (Oct. 16, 2013)
• Another Armed Robbery of a Cal Student on Campus (Oct. 15, 2013)
• Student Knocked Down, Robbed at Gunpoint on Cal Campus (Oct. 14, 2013)
• Cal Student Assaulted by 3 Robbers on Campus (Oct. 14, 2013)
• Student Shoved, Robbed of Cell Phone next to Cal Dorm (Oct. 12, 2013)
• Woman Hit, Robbed Next to UC Campus (Oct. 10, 2013)
• 3 Arrested After Employee Kicked in Tip-Jar Robbery at Caffe Med (Oct. 3, 2013)
• FBI Crime Data Reflects Berkeley Crime Increase
• String of Weekend Assaults on UC Berkeley Fraternity Row
• Cell Phone Robbery on UC Campus – Minor Injuries to Female Victim
• Berkeley Pedestrian Robberies Jump 35% This Year
• Another Robbery Near UC Berkeley
• Another Robbery: Cal Student Pushed from Behind While Walking
• Another Armed Robbery in Berkeley
• UC Student Describes Being Robbed as Bystander Stood By
• Armed Robbery at North Gate of Cal Campus
• Purse-Grab Robbery of Woman on Telegraph Ave.
• 2 Females Pushed, Robbed at Gunpoint South of UC Campus
• 2 Students Robbed at Gunpoint at UC Housing Complex
• Man, Woman Robbed at Gunpoint Near UC Campus
• 5 Robbers Take Man's Cell Phone, Wallet at Gunpoint Near Cal Campus

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