Features

Flashlight Robbery 

Three robbers, led by a flashlight-wielding woman with red braids, robbed an 18-year-old resident in the 3000 block of San Pablo Avenue Monday afternoon, reports Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Police learned of the robbery from a health care worker at Alta Bates Medical Center, where the victim had come for emergency treatment of the head wound she sustained in the robbery. 

The woman had already departed by the time officers arrived, but officers tracked her down and learned the details of the assault. 

Loose Butt Bust 

Berkeley officers cited a merchant in the 2200 block of San Pablo Avenue Tuesday afternoon for violating Section 308.2 Subsection A of the California Penal Code, to wit: “Every person who sells one or more cigarettes, other than in a sealed and properly labeled package, is guilty of an infraction.” 

To the dismay of financially challenged smokers and those struggling to quit, the evil weed can’t be sold outside a pack. 

Officer Okies said the citation was issued after it was discovered during an ongoing sting operation that targets sales of the otherwise legal weed and booze to minors. 

Fortunate Trespass Call 

Berkeley officers responding to a report of a trespasser in a building in the 2400 block of Dwight Way heard a voice in distress. 

Further exploration thwarted a 30-year-old man they discovered in the process of attacking a 19-year-old woman. 

The suspect, Michael James Ellis, was arrested on charges of assault with the intent to commit a sex crime and false imprisonment. 

The woman didn’t require medical treatment. 

“The officers were able to stop things before something even worse could happen,” said Officer Okies. 

Armed Robber Sought 

Police are seeking the 40-year-old-or-so gunman who robbed a 21-year-old woman near the corner of Warring Street and Dwight Way shortly after midnight Wednesday.e