Features

First, the Police Blotter offers a tip of the hat to now-Sgt. Joe Okies, who was awarded his stripes Thursday when graduated from his role as the Berkeley Police Department’s public information officer to a sergeant of the night patrol. Felons beware! 

Bottle and punch 

Police are looking for the tall, thin fellow who stormed into L K Liquor Store at 2495 Sacramento St. last Thursday night, threatened the clerk with a bottle, then landed a punch instead. He’s now wanted for assault and brandishing a deadly weapon, said the former Officer Okies. 

Ho ho humbugs 

Two young men wearing dark hoodies tried to swipe the packages that a 30-year-old woman was carrying outside the Claremont Library early last Thursday evening. When she refused to relinquish her belongings, the thieves were left in search of another way to acquire their holiday presents. 

Ups ante on a deuce 

When Berkeley officers made a deuce (drunk driving) stop in the 900 block of Adeline Street at 11:34 p.m. Friday, they also discovered the intoxicated 39-year-old driving was also driving with a license that had been suspended or revoked for reckless or negligent driving—all violations of the state vehicle code.  

If that weren’t bad enough, the outraged inebriate then said some something to officers that led them to charge him with violation of section 422 of the California Penal Code—threatening to “commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person.” 

“It’s not surprising that someone who has been arrested for driving under the influence might be unhappy about it,” observed Okies. 

Second attack 

Wheelchairs of Berkeley, the victim of a window-smashing attack by a brick-and-cane-wielding bandit on Nov. 23, was targeted again Saturday—this time by an arsonist. 

Police and firefighters rushed to the 2911 Shattuck Ave. facility after a 911 call reporting fire. 

Emergency workers arrived in time to extinguish a blaze set on the outside of a garage at the business and to apprehend a 33-year-old man police booked on suspicion of setting the blaze. 

Okies said there appears to be no connection between the two crimes. 

Hospital heist 

The 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of robbing a purse at the Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital at 2126 Haste St. early Saturday afternoon also faces charges of domestic abuse stemming from the same crime, as well as one count of probation violation. 

The purse and its contents were recovered and returned to their rightful owner. 

211 Trio 

Police are seeking three young men who robbed a fellow shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday in the 1300 block of Sixth Street. 

Wrong move 

After police were called to a residence in the 1200 block of Berkeley Way just before 11 p.m. Sunday, they found a very angry and disturbed 18-year-old fellow who expressed his displeasure by punching his fist through a wall and then pulling a knife as officers moved to arrest him, a significant felony to lay atop a count of vandalism from the fist-in-the-wall thing.