Category Archives: Crime
UPDATE 9:15 pm: A Berkeley police investigative unit followed a suspect to Castro Valley this evening as part of an investigation into a crime, according to Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. The officers made a traffic stop of the suspect in Castro Valley.
“As they got out of their unmarked car the suspect went into reverse and pinned one of the officers between his car and the police car,” said Sgt. Nelson. “When that happened the other officer shot at the suspect.”
The police officer suffered “serious” leg and hand injuries, said Sgt. Nelson. He did not know why the BPD was chasing the suspect.
Original story:
A Berkeley police officer was injured Wednesday evening when he and another officer were trying to make an arrest in Castro Valley. … Continue reading »
Rash of burglaries has West Berkeley on edge
West Berkeley residents are on the edge after a rash of more than 20 home burglaries since Jan. 15. The burglars have been breaking into houses during the daytime, usually between 11 am and 3 pm, and making off with easy to carry items like laptops, cameras, jewelry, and cash, according to police. The area targeted by the thieves is bounded by Ashby and University Avenues and San Pablo Avenue and Sacramento Street.
On Monday, about 70 neighborhood residents gathered at the Corporation Yard to talk to Berkeley police about the crimes and what could be done. David Morin, a sales and marketing manger for Northwestern Mutual Life who has lived in West Berkeley for six years, attended the community forum. Morin’s house was one of those burglarized. He shares his story: … Continue reading »
Arsonist sentenced for destroying $100 million of wine
More than six years after a devastating fire ripped through a Vallejo warehouse, destroying 4.5 million bottles of premium wine worth more than $100 million, a man has been sentenced for the crime.
A federal judge in Sacramento on Tuesday sentenced Mark. C. Anderson, 63, who was born in Berkeley and who resided in Sausalito, to 27 years in prison for the Oct. 12, 2005 fire at Wines Central.
“This was an enormous crime,” Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Steven Lapham said after the sentencing. “He damaged so many lives. We tend to think of winery owners as rich, fat-cat types. But by and large, the people who were storing wine at this facility were doing so because they didn’t have their own storage. They were small family-owned wineries that couldn’t afford these losses.” … Continue reading »
Barrage of bullets killed man in Berkeley
Kenny Warren had just left his job at the barbershop at 3019 Shattuck Avenue Thursday evening and was walking around the corner to a friend’s house to watch a basketball game when he was pelted with a barrage of gunfire.
His assailants were lying in wait for the barber, port worker, and father of five, and fired off more than 80 rounds from a semi-automatic weapon and a pistol to make sure the 35-year old was dead. After Warren collapsed on the porch of the duplex at 2114 Emerson Street, the suspects walked up the stairs and fired some more rounds point blank into his body, according to witnesses.
“I heard him knock on the door and say ‘It’s Ken,’ said an occupant of the apartment where Warren was killed. She asked that her name not be used. “I went to answer the door, then hesitated. Then the bullets started flying and I heard him scream. There were so many bullets. They kept coming so fast. There were so many.” … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
This is a partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley based on information from the Berkeley Police Department and the UC Berkeley Police Department. Last night’s murder occurred too late for this police-compiled listing.
See also BPD’s weekly calls for service and the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
Thursday, January 19
Armed Robbery – Channing Way and Atherton Street
On Thursday, January 19, at 8:31 p.m., an armed robbery occurred at the intersection of Channing Way and Atherton Street. The victim was approached by the male suspect who displayed a silver handgun and robbed him of cash. The suspect fled the scene on foot and was last seen entering a white or silver vehicle, possibly a Lexus. The victim was not injured during the encounter. The Berkeley Police Department searched the area but was unable to locate the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle.
The suspect was described as: a Black or Hispanic male, in his 20s, approximately 5′-5″ tall, medium
build, wearing a black kerchief or cap, a black jacket, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. … Continue reading »
Breaking: Man shot and killed in south Berkeley
A man was shot and killed on the 3000 block of Shattuck Avenue around 6:50 pm, according to Berkeley police.
The man, who has not yet been identified but is a younger man, was found near 3020 Shattuck Avenue, according to Sgt. Mary Kusmiss. He had been shot numerous times and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, she said. His name and age have not been released.
Police responded to Shattuck Avenue near Emerson after 911 … Continue reading »
Two arrested for shootings on Sacramento Street
Update, 01.25.12: New information received from Assistant District Attorney Teresa Drenick from the Alameda County District Attorney’s office clarifies that Tyler Frank Jamison is in fact 16 but that he was filed on as an adult.
Two 18-year-old Berkeley men have been arrested in connection with the shooting of two teenagers on Sacramento Street on Dec. 23.
Tyler Frank Jamison, 18 16, who lives on Hearst Avenue, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, and other charges, and is being held without bail in Santa Rita Jail, according to Teresa Drenick, an assistant district attorney in the Alameda County District Attorney’s office.
Tyrone Anthony Terell, 18, was charged with a weapons violation, according to a press release issued by Berkeley police.
The two men were arrested on Jan. 13 when a patrol officer recognized the suspects, whose name and photos had been distributed in an internal wanted photo, according to the BPD press release. … Continue reading »
Armed robbery at Berkeley gas station spurs manhunt
An armed robbery this afternoon at the Chevron station on the corner of Ashby and Domingo led to an extensive manhunt that was continuing at time of writing.
The Chevron gas station was robbed at 2:04 p.m. today at gunpoint by a single suspect who fled on foot. Berkeley police officers were on the scene within a minute, according to BPD Lieutenant Andrew Greenwood. Over one hour after the incident, eight to ten Berkeley officers were still scouring the neighborhood … Continue reading »
Berkeley police investigate drive-by shooting
Berkeley police are investigating a drive-by shooting that took place on Ashby Avenue on Jan. 2.
A man was driving eastbound on Ashby near Harper Street around 3:10 pm when a red car pulled alongside him. Someone in that car fired shots and then sped south towards Oakland, according to Sgt. Mary Kusmiss of the Berkeley Police Department. The victim, who was not injured, drove east, away from the scene. Several bullets had been fired into his car.
Berkeley police … Continue reading »
Police blotter: recent crime in Berkeley
2011 will wind down as one of the safest years in Berkeley. There was only one homicide this year — the March 8 slaying of Toby Eagle in the back yard of his Blake Street home — compared to five killings in 2010. This is lowest number of murders in Berkeley since 2001, according to Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.
In this partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley from Dec. 25-29, Sgt. Kusmiss also included a snapshot of what police have been doing, along with information on specific police calls. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeViewand Crimemapping.com.
Quick Facts - What BPD Officers are doing:
Between Sunday, December 25, 2011 at 1:33 a.m. and Thursday, December 29 at 9:22 a.m., BPD officers were dispatched and handled 21 welfare checks of community members throughout the City of Berkeley.
Between Sunday, December 25, 2011 at 11:58 a.m. and Thursday, December 29 at 3:48 p.m., BPD officers made 26 pedestrian stops throughout the City of Berkeley. … Continue reading »
