Features

Murder Attempt Charged 

Two men were charged with the attempted murder of a 49-year-old Berkeley woman following a brutal assault on the sidewalk in the 1900 block of University Avenue, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Police were summoned to the scene shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, where they found the woman bleeding and critically injured. 

An area search turned up three suspects—two adults and a juvenile. 

Jarell Maurice Johnson, 18, and Lawrence Allen Dillon were each charged with attempted murder. Additional charges of giving a false identification to and interfering with a police officer were filed against Dillon, Okies said. 

The juvenile suspect was charged with interfering with an officer. 

The victim remains in the hospital is serious condition, he said. 

When Girlfriends Collide 

When two woman collided early Tuesday evening at the Grocery Outlet in the 2000 block of Fourth Street—one the current flame of that special guy and the other his ex-girlfriend—more than sparks flew, said Officer Shira Warren. 

The girlfriend of the moment produced a can of chemical Mace and sprayed her putative rival with a blast of the nasty compound and officers were quickly summoned. 

The sprayer and sprayee both earned free rides to the cop shop, where sprayee was photographed for evidence and the alleged sprayer was booked on suspicion of violating Section 244 of the California Penal code, assault by acid or a disfiguring chemical. 

Painful Pier Pounding 

Police arrested a 23-year-old man and a juvenile on the Berkeley Pier late Tuesday for an assault on two fishermen, said Officer Warren. 

The attack involved fists and a knife, which could lead to some serious hard time for the adult and a long stretch in juvie for the minor. 

Assault with Deadly Phone 

Police booked a Berkeley man in his 20s on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after he battered his roommate with a cell phone and charger and then attempted to choke her. 

Summoned to the residence near the corner of Russell Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, officers clamped irons on the man and led him away.  

The roommate is now sleeping on a much softer mattress than her ex-housemate.