Features

Stymied Car Theft 

A Berkeley man risked life and limb to keep a thief from making off with his car yesterday. Police said the victim and a co-worker were in the upstairs of his house on the 2500 block of Regent Street at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday when the victim spotted his car motoring down the street. 

The two men ran to the co-worker’s car and raced after the car thieves tracking them down at a red light on the corner of Ashby and Telegraph avenues. The victim then jumped out of the co-worker’s car and reached into his car clutching the driver with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. 

The thief tried to head south on Telegraph with the victim hanging along the side of the car, skidding onto the sidewalk in front of Whole Foods Market and continuing for about 60 feet until he crashed into a tree, sending the victim flying from the car. 

The driver then continued on the sidewalk to Webster Street, where he made it back onto the road and sped away.  

The victim’s co-worker, seeing that the victim was not seriously hurt, followed the car to Ashby and Shattuck Avenues, where the two thieves abandoned the car, which had suffered two blown out tires.  

Berkeley and BART Police, working on descriptions from witnesses, arrested Michael Dow, 33, a transient who they believe was the passenger in the car, for auto theft and felony hit and run. The driver of the car remains at large and police did not have a medical update on the victim. 

Hot Prowl Burglary 

A burglary suspect, scared off by the screams of a resident, ran into the waiting arms of a police officer arriving on the scene Wednesday evening. Police said a woman on the 2900 block of Hillegass heard someone trying to break into her apartment and called 911. 

When a man broke a window and entered her home, the woman began to scream, sending the man running out the front door—where he was met by an policeman responding to the call. The officer ordered the burglar to drop to the floor while he waited for backup to arrive. A further investigation found a 14-year-old alleged accomplice hiding around the corner. Police arrested Prince Bruton, 30, a vagrant, and the juvenile from San Pablo for attempted burglary. 

Courtesy Notices 

In response to concerns about people in wheelchairs navigating through congested sidewalks, the police department has printed up thousands of bright green courtesy notices residents can stick on the windshields of cars parked blocking city sidewalks. The notices carry no penalty and are intended to educate drivers about the hazards they are creating and the penalties associated with the violation. Cars that police find blocking sidewalks are ticketed $47.