Berkeley Police Log for May 23-31, 2011

Tuesday, May 31

More than $3,000 worth of tools were stolen over Memorial Day weekend from a Berkeley firm doing construction work at . The thief or thieves pried open a lock to get at the tools, which included a red demolition hammer, red concrete nail gun, orange demolition concrete saw, yellow Dewalt drills and white/grey Makita drill.

Some people living in the 20 block of Avenida Drive were at a meeting when they got word from their alarm company at 7:57 p.m. that all was not well. They came home to find the French doors forced open, but apparently nothing stolen.

Monday, May 30

A Northside woman walking home at 10:55 p.m. from downtown Berkeley BART was pistol-whipped badly enough to require stitches and robbed. The victim, who is 26, told police she was on LeConte between Scenic and Hearst when she was approached by another woman who pulled her hair, pointed a gun at her and demanded her purse. The victim put up a struggle, police said, and the robber pulled the purse from her shoulder and struck her several times with the gun. The victim thinks the robber then ran to a nearby older-model silver car and drove west on Hearst toward Oxford Street. She described the suspect to police as “a Black female adult, dark complexion/skin, straight shoulder-length hair, 5’6”-5-8”, 140 lbs. and wearing all dark clothing.” In searching for the assailant, police stopped one car but identified no suspects and made no arrests.

A San Anselmo man visiting friends in Berkeley stopped to use an ATM in the 1000 block of University Avenue about 12:25 a.m. Counting his money on his way back to his car, the 26-year-old was attacked from behind by a man who slugged him in the ear and took more than $100 and his gray iPod Nano. The victim refused medical attention, but complained of a “major headache.”

Somebody stole something at about 8 a.m. on the 1800 block of University Avenue.

Stuff was reported stolen at about 3 a.m. from a vehicle in the 1900 block of Los Angeles Avenue and at about 8:30 a.m. from the 2100 block of Spaulding Avenue.

Vehicles were stolen this afternoon at College Avenue and Prince Street and in the 1400 block of San Pablo Avenue.

Somebody vandalized something on the 2600 block of Telegraph.

A home was found burglarized at 4 p.m. on the 400 block of Vicente Road.

Sunday, May 29

Someone greeted the morning by causing a disturbance on the 1900 block of Channing Way.

A young man was peppered with BB-gun shot at the corner of Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue about 2:15 p.m, but claims to have escaped injury. Three men were arrested. Read about it .

A house door was left open and some contents stolen at 5:15 p.m. in the 1300 block of Derby Street. A burglary on the 1900 block of Oregon Street; this time, the window was left entirely open and the stuff reported missing just before midnight. The burglar or burglars in the 2400 block of Blake Street, however, had to pry a window open.  Down the street, somebody stole groceries from Berkeley Bowl.

A person was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence at Fairview and California streets around 6:30 p.m.

Folks in the 1000 block of Park Hills Road don't appreciate the vandalism there.

Vehicles in the 1800 block of Berkeley Way; the 2700 block of Benvenue Avenue; the corner of Spruce Street and Montrose Road and the 1200 block of Oxford Street are lighter some items. Somebody parked their unlocked vehicle on  the 2400 block of West Street, and soon their cellphone was gone.

Someone was robbed around 7:30 p.m. on the 2400 block of Ashby Avenue.

A vehicle was stolen from the 1700 block of Channing Way.

Saturday, May 28

Something in the 1300 block of Oxford Street was vandalized, and the rear plate was taken from a vehicle in the 800 block of Gilman Street around 10 p.m.

A narcotics arrest was made in the 2200 block of Prince Street.

Someone left her purse and satchel unattended in the 2400 block of Piedmont Avenue, and they vanished.

Friday, May 27

Another morning disturbance, this time on the 2300 block of Bancroft Avenue.

A home’s door was kicked open and its contents burglarized on the 1300 block of Santa Fe Avenue sometime before 12:47 p.m.

A shopper's suspicious behavior prompted a clerk in the 1300 block of San Pablo Avenue to call police, who say they found the shopper a few blocks away with 18 of the store's Gerber brand pocket knives on his person. The shopper was arrested.

A man living in the upper floor of a mixed-use building in the 18oo block of 5th Street was awakened at 2:50 a.m. by a loud noise downstairs. Looking out the window, he saw a '90s-vintage beige or silver four-door Nissan driving away. The front-door glass of the showroom on ground level was smashed; the man said that nothing appeared missing but that the Mac on a desk there appeared to have been tampered with. 

Someone stole a vehicle from the 2200 block of Blake Street.

Probably it was other people who vandalized the 2300 block of Parker Street and the corner of Harrison and 7th streets.

Stuff was stolen on the 2000 block of Allston Way and the 2200 block of Milvia Street. Someone tried to steal a package from a porch on the 1500 block of Delaware Street, but was discovered.

Police arrested somebody they said was trying to steal things from a vehicle at Page and 4th streets; the person or people who burglarized the car at 100 Seawall Drive got away.

Thursday, May 26

The lock was found cut to a storage unit at 1717 Fifth Street around 10 a.m., and stuff taken. Other folks learned at 1:15 p.m. that their home in the 1100 block of Delaware Street was missing some stuff. Around 5:30 p.m., still other folks in the 1400 block of Santa Fe Avenue came home to the same unpleasant news. 

A vehicle was stolen from the 2700 block of Grant Street.

Four narcotics violations were reported between 2:30 and 7 p.m. at Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street and in the 2500 block of Dwight Way. In one case, an arrest was made.

Vandals were busy at Walnut and Virginia streets.

Something was stolen about 3:25 p.m. from 2nd and Jones streets.

Stuff is gone from a car parked in the 2300 block of West Street.

Wednesday, May 25

A Berkeley City College student locked the front wheel of his $2,000 Bianchi Pista to a pole on Center Street this afternoon. When he emerged from class three and a half hours later, only the front wheel and lock remained.

Someone smashed the front-door glass of a business in the 1800 block of University Avenue, taking an Apple iMac with keyboard and mouse worth about $1,000.

Someone who had, but shouldn’t have had, a key to a house on the 1500 block of Harmon Street went in and took some stuff.

A door was left unlocked in the 20 block of The Uplands, and stuff vanished through it.

Domestic violence was reported at 6th and Jones streets just before 9 p.m., and someone was arrested.

A narcotics arrest was made in the 1600 block of Russell Street.

Stuff went missing this afternoon on the 2000 block of Kittredge Street.

Tuesday, May 24

People stole stuff this afternoon on the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue, the 2100 block of Vine Street, and the corner of California and Addison streets.

A home window was left unlocked about 4:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of Oregon Street, and stuff disappeared. On the 600 block of Woodmont Avenue, a window was left entirely open, and stuff was gone there, too. Other homes were burglarized in the 200 block of the Uplands and the 2400 block of Piedmont Avecnue.

Two men’s dispute over recyclables in the ASUC Garage on Bancroft Avenue got ugly, and.

Vandals left their marks on the 3000 block of Telegraph Avenue and the 1600 block of Buena Avenue.

A vehicle was stolen around midnight from the corner of Fifth and Gilman streets.

Someone tried to break into a home this afternoon in the 2400 block of Piedmont Avenue, but wasn’t successful.

Auto burglars were busy this evening between 7 and 10:30 p.m., helping themselves to the contents of cars at Josephine and Vine streets; the 1000 block of Euclid Avenue; the 2300 block of Acton Street; the 2700 block of Dohr Street; the corner of Cragmont Avenue and Regal Road; and the 3000 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 

A narcotics arrest was made at the corner of Seawall Drive and University Avenue around 7:15 p.m.

Monday, May 23

A home’s window was reported smashed about 5 p.m. in the 1700 block of Stuart Street, and some items taken.

Folks learned at 5 a.m. that someone had tried to break into their home in the 1300 block of Hearst Street.