Features

Theater Heist 

Police arrested a 20-year-old employee of the Oaks Theater at 1875 Solano Ave. minutes after midnight Thursday morning on suspicion of grand theft. Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Steve Rego said the man had $500 in his possession, the amount reportedly taken from the till. 

Slow Crooks 

An alert Blake Street resident called police Thursday afternoon after spotting two men, one armed with a pistol, near the corner of Blake and San Pablo Avenue. 

Police set up an area perimeter and conducted a search, finally spotting the suspects, who started running with the officers in close pursuit. 

The folks with the badges proved fleeter of foot, and nabbed both suspects. A quick frisk turned up not only the pistol but some loot that had been stolen in a Piedmont burglary two hours earlier, said Officer Rego. 

The not-so-dynamic duo was escorted to the local lockup, where they were booked on charges of receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. 

Robbed or Not? 

Police were called to the corner of Shattuck and Durant avenues at 1:17 p.m. Thursday, where a very confused woman reported that she had been assaulted by person or persons unknown, and who may or may not have stolen her wallet. 

Purse Snatch 

A 22-year-old woman called police Friday morning to report that another woman about her own age had shoved her and grabbed her purse. 

Boom Box Bust 

Police arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of larceny and parole violation after he walked out of the 2058 University Ave. Goodwill store in possession of a boom box not his own. 

Register, Clerk Hit 

The clerk working the midnight shift at a business in the 2800 block of College Avenue called police at a minute after midnight Saturday to report that a middle-aged man wearing a dark hoodie had slugged him in the chest, then scooped up the contents of the cash register before fleeing westbound on College. 

King Pin Donut Theft 

The owner of King Pin Donuts at 2521 Durant Ave. called police Just after midnight Saturday after he discovered that $7,000 had vanished from his cash register over the past three months. 

Heistus Interruptus 

An anxious clerk at Ledger Liquor, 1399 University Ave., told police the timely entrance of a customer at 8:37 Saturday evening may have discouraged a robber before he could begin his dastardly deed. 

The clerk smelled foul deeds when a man started to walk into the store with his face hidden behind a black ski mask. At the very same moment, a customer walked in, frightening the masked man, who turned around and beat pavement westbound on University. 

Police searched the area and were able to learn the identity of the masked man, said Officer Rego. 

Homeless Slasher 

A dispute between two homeless men took a nasty turn late Saturday night when one produced a box cutter and tried to slash the other’s throat. 

The victim, a 49-year-old transient, received a non-life-threatening wound, and his 52-year-old assailant was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and escorted to new accommodations. 

Home Invaders 

Residents of an apartment in the 2600 block of Ridge Road called police Sunday morning after two masked men forced their way into the dwelling and proceeded to rob them. 

The bandits were gone by the time police arrived, along with the three marijuana plants the apartment dwellers had been carefully cultivating.  

No arrests have been made, said Officer Rego. 

Drayage Pellet Gunner 

Police raided the Drayage late Monday afternoon after someone fired a pellet gun at firefighters who are conducting a fire watch at the site, said Deputy Fire Chief David Orth. 

No one was injured, and police were unable to find the shooter or the weapon, Orth said. 

The illegal apartment and live/work complex at Third and Addison streets is the scene of a dispute between residents and city officials, who have ordered the tenants to vacate a structure Orth has declared an extreme fire hazard. 

Fire and city building inspectors found more than 255 code violations at the building. The final eviction date has been set for April 15.