Features

Caustic assault 

Berkeley Police arrested a 45-year-old woman on a charge of assault with a caustic chemical after she allegedly threw cleaning chemicals at the clerk of the Berkeley YMCA April 6, reports Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan. 

The desk clerk stopped the woman after she tried to sneak a guest into her room. The agitated woman responded by grabbing the chemical, which was stored near the desk, and hurling it at the clerk. 

The victim was treated for injuries at the scene by Fire Department paramedics. 

Spare change robbery try 

After a Berkeley woman turned down a trio of teens panhandling for spare change shortly after 1 a.m. on April 7 near the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Woolsey Street, the three surrounded her and made an unsuccessful try to grab her pocketbook before they gave up and fled in frustration in what their erstwhile victim believed to be a white 1989 Chevrolet Corsica. 

Strong-arm heist 

A strong-arm bandit robbed the clerk at Bob’s Liquors & Deli, 2842 Sacramento St., just before 7:25 p.m. on April 10. 

Clad in the usual dark hoodie, the perp sauntered into the store and told the clerk he was packing a pistol—though the said weapon was never produced. Ordered to empty his pockets, the clerk complied, and the robber departed with a small quantity of cash, said Officer Galvan. 

Lunch bagged 

A young man called Berkeley at 9:13 p.m. on the 10th to report that he’d just seen three other young men who had robbed him of his lunch bag six days earlier. 

By the time officers arrived in the 2500 block of Bancroft Way, the strong-arm trio was gone. 

Rape report 

Police were called to a Blake Street address at 12:45 a.m. April 11 after a Berkeley woman called to report that she had been sexually assaulted and beaten by her companion. The woman declined medical attention, and the case was referred to the District Attorney’s office. No arrests have been made, said Officer Galvan. 

Armed robbery 

The desk clerk at the Golden Bear Inn at 1620 San Pablo Ave. called police at 7:25 p.m. on the 11th to report that a tall, thin fellow wearing a black beanie and a green hoodie and brandishing a black handgun had just pulled off a stick-up. 

The gunman was gone by the time police arrived. 

Bewildered vic 

A hapless and somewhat bewildered pedestrian called police three hours later to report that a gunman in a black hoodie had just robbed him—though he couldn’t quite recall where. 

The 20-year-old victim said he’d been robbed somewhere on Telegraph or Hillegass avenues—“Getting robbed can be pretty traumatic,” said Officer Galvan—by a fellow who relieved him of his wallet and its contents. 

Another rape 

San Francisco police called Berkeley officers at 11:22 p.m. on the 12th to report that a woman had come in to report that she had been raped in Berkeley in the 1400 block of Hearst Avenue earlier in the day. 

A Berkeley investigator went to San Francisco to interview the woman with the help of a translator. 

No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing. 

Forced oral sex 

Police are investigation a report that a Berkeley man was forced to perform oral sex on another man early in the morning of April 14. Officer Galvan said he could provide no additional information beyond the fact that it occurred on Cedar Street because of a policy set by the City Attorney’s office. 

Bottle bashers 

Police are seeking two men who attacked a 21-year-old Berkeley man as he walked along the 2500 block of Bancroft Way near the Urban Outfitters store just after 6 a.m. on the 14th. 

The victim told officers he was approached by two men, one of who hit him on the head with a bottle before the pair fled across Bancroft and onto the UC Berkeley campus. 

The injured man was rushed to a local emergency room for treatment of his injuries. 

Table leg attack 

Police rushed to a residence in the 1500 block of Tyler Street at 10:58 a.m. Saturday after a woman called to report that she’d been assaulted with a pipe by a 57-year-old woman who had just run out the door. 

The weapon turned out to be a table leg, and the victim refused medical attention. No arrests have been made, said Officer Galvan. 

Drive-by robbers 

A Berkeley woman was just getting into her car in the 100 block of Tamalpais Roads at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday when a car pulled up and a young man leapt out, grabbed her purse and jumped back into the car—a noisy older sedan with no license plates—which then sped off with an accomplice at the wheel. 

Armed robbery 

A tall, thin gunman, accompanied by another fellow, pulled a pistol on a 27-year-old Berkeley man who was walking in the 2100 block of Milvia Street about 1 a.m. Tuesday. 

After he handed over his wallet and watch, the robbers fled. 

Child molestation 

Berkeley police are investigating allegations of child molestation reported Tuesday morning by a young Berkeley woman. No other details are available, said Officer Galvan. ›