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Fake Bomber Bust 

Anthony Cassidy, the man suspected of using a fake pipe bomb to rob a Berkeley bank Jan. 27, was arrested in Castroville on Monday, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Investigators believe Anthony Cassidy was the man who entered the Mechanics Bank at 2301 Shattuck Ave. on a Friday afternoon and presented the clerks at the Thomas Cooke Currency Exchange with a package and a demand note promising he’d detonate a bomb if they didn’t fork over the cash. 

He fled with the cash, leaving the package behind. 

Berkeley Police evacuated the area and sealed of a stretch of Shattuck Avenue while they set out to neutralize what they soon discovered was a non-explosive fake. 

According to published accounts, the 54-year-old Cassidy was arrested by detectives from San Francisco and San Leandro, where he is suspected of other robberies. Additional cases come from Oakland. 

Non-Robber Cuffed 

A 50-year-old man was arrested at the Ashby BART station late Wednesday evening, March 2, after a botched robbery attempt at the nearby Black and White Liquors on Adeline Street. 

The suspect entered the store, using the old fake-gun-in-the-pocket routine, then fled when he recognized that his acting wasn’t stellar quality. Police quickly arrived, slapping on the cuffs within a few short minutes. 

Dealer Nabbed 

Responding to a call from a concerned citizen about drug dealing in the mini-park near the corner of Allston Way and Tenth Street, officers arrived in time to bust a 30-year-old man for possession of crack cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and probation violation. 

Armed Robber Sought 

Police are seeking a gunman who robbed two women outside the Ashby BART Station just after 7 a.m. Monday, said Officer Okies. He departed in an older-model white car of indeterminate make. 

Stabber Stopped 

Police arrested a 46-year-old woman on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after she stabbed her 51-year-old victim with a pen-knife. Fortunately for both the victim and his assailant, the weapon had a short blade. The stabbed was treated at the scene by paramedics and the stabber was given an armed escort to the pokey. 

Trio Takes Wallet 

Three young gunmen relieved a 27-year-old man of his wallet and its contents as he strolled along Shattuck Avenue near the corner of Kittredge Street shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Officer Okies. 

Uncertain Bandit 

A gunman, estimated to be in his 30s, walked into the Oceanview Market at 1458 Sixth St. around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, weapon in hand and apparently intent on robbing the place. 

Something spooked him, because he turned and fled, mounted atop his trusty mountain bike. 

Attempted robbery 

Two pedestrians were strolling along the 1600 block of Tenth Street just after 11:30 Wednesday night when three suspects walked up behind them and uttered something that sounded intimidating in a language their would-be victims didn’t understand. 

When two of the unintelligible trio proceeded to pull pistols, the pedestrians hot-footed it away and made a call to police. 

The mysterious three had also boogied by the time the cavalry arrived. 

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