Features

Middle school heist 

Burglars broke into the offices of Willard Middle School and stole radios, computer gear, monitors and other office equipment, said Officer Joe Okies, Berkeley police spokesperson. 

While he couldn’t put an exact dollar amount on the cost of the gear taken, Okies said the sum was significant. 

Beanie bandit 

A gunman packing a pistol and sporting a beanie walked into the Valero gas station at 1894 University Ave. just before noon Monday and demanded the contents of the till. 

The bandit then scooped up his ill-gotten gains and departed forthwith. 

Till tappers 

What the Valero bandit accomplished with a gun, a pair of fellows accomplished with their fingers shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday, when they tapped the till of the Import Tile Co. at 611 Hearst Ave. 

They were making their getaway before anyone figured out what they’d done. 

Unlike the Valero heister, this pair won’t face robbery charges because they didn’t resort to the threat of force. The max they can be charged with is grand theft. 

Potty arsonist redux 

The felon who ignited a portable toilet at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School on Aug. 16 appears to have staged a replay of the odiferous arson sometime after 9 p.m. Tuesday. 

Police and Fire department personnel arrived at the 1701 Rose St. school to find yet another portable potty on fire. 

No humans were injured, and investigators are seeking to identify a suspect. 

Teenagers rob teen 

A 16-year-old fellow was walking along the Ohlone Greenway along the 1400 block of Virginia Street about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday when two teenagers approached, produced a pistol and demanded his cash. 

The teen complied and the bandits fled on their BMX-style bicycles. 

Sex worker sting 

Acting on complaints of residents of the San Pablo Avenue corridor, Berkeley police staged a prostitution sting Wednesday afternoon and evening. 

Posing as would-be johns, officers nabbed eight women on soliciting charges. The suspects ranged in age from 17 to 52, said Officer Okies.›