Features

Gunman Surrenders, Ends Albany Standoff 

An Albany man in his 20s held police and sheriff’s deputies at bay for more than 11 hours Monday after threatening to kill himself with a rifle. 

Assistant City Administrator Judy Lieberman said police were called to the 1100 block of Key Route Boulevard after the man called the Crisis Emergency Service’s 24-hour emergency suicide prevention hotline around 1 a.m. 

Neighborhood residents were evacuated for several hours while officers from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Unit negotiated. 

The man surrendered about 1:15 p.m., Lieberman said. 

Deputies booked the man on one count each of brandishing a firearm and making a criminal threat. He was being held Thursday evening in lieu of $23,000 bail, Lieberman said. 

Band-Aid Bank Robbery Strike Again 

The man Northern California law enforcement agencies have dubbed the Band-Aid Bandit struck Berkeley for a second time Monday morning, said police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Nicknamed for the bandage the felon sticks across the bridge of his nose before his capers, the robber walked into the Mechanics Bank branch in the 1800 block of Solano and offered a note demanding cash. 

He’s used the same M.O. at a dozen or so banks between Tracy and Oakland in the last few months, including once before in Berkeley three weeks ago. 

This time the ploy didn’t work, and the furtive felon fled, cashless. 

Okies said the robber is an African American male in his 20s, standing about 5’6” to 5’7” and weighing between 160 and 170 pounds. For his Monday appearance he donned a dark golf cap, glasses, a gray jacket with vertical stripes, and gray jeans. 

Topping out the outfit is a display of scruffy facial hair, Okies said. 

Burglar Nabbed in the Act 

A passerby called Berkeley police shortly before 3 a.m. Friday morning to report suspicious activity in the office of the Standard Parking Garage at 2061 Allston Way. 

Arriving at the scene, officers found a 22-year-old man scooping up cash in the manager’s office. 

Relieved of his loot, he was escorted to new accommodations in the nearby municipal pokey. 

Strongarm Bandit Busted 

Police arrested a 39-year-old man on felony robbery charges early Thursday afternoon after he forced a man to surrender his wallet outside a fast food restaurant in the 2100 block of San Pablo Avenue. 

Fiddlesticks Hit by Armed Robber  

A gunman walked into Fiddlesticks Furnishings at 2524 San Pablo Ave. a few minutes after 1 p.m. Friday and demanded cash. 

The suspect escaped with the loot. 

Wells Fargo Andronico’s Branch Robbed Again 

For the second time in recent weeks, a robber has struck the Wells Fargo branch bank in the Andronico’s Market at University Avenue and Acton Street. The felon entered the facility at 2:28 p.m. Friday and produced a note demanding cash. 

Once he had the dough, the unbandaged bandit boogied. 

Resident Discovers Bullet Hole in Window 

A resident heard what he thought was a gunshot Saturday night near his abode on Channing Way near College Avenue, but retired without further concern. 

After awakening Sunday morning, he discovered that the shooter had fired into his dwelling, drilling through a window. He promptly called police, but the shooter was long gone. 

Fashionistas Dis Plastic Pistol 

Clerks at Sunshine Fashion at 2529 Telegraph Ave. declined a would-be robber’s orders to tap the till when they spotted his alleged firearm as a plastic fake, whereupon he fled. 

Store personnel also identified his shirt as an Old Navy original. 

Gunman Grabs Cash 

The handgun a robber showed a San Pablo Avenue pedestrian at 12:52 p.m. Sunday afternoon looked all too real, so the victim parted with his cash and the robber took off on foot. 

Flashes ‘Sword,’ Then Bikes Away 

A dispute between two gentleman near the corner of Adeline and Harmon streets was abruptly terminated when one fellow flashed a 10-inch bladed instrument described as a Japanese sword at the other before fleeing on his bike. 

No one was injured. 

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