Features

Looney’s burglary 

A burglar was spotted breaking into Looney’s Smokehouse on Bancroft Way on the evening of Nov. 27. Shortly before 8 p.m., a passerby spotted a man in a dark hooded sweatshirt, baggy black pants and sneakers climbing through one of the restaurant’s windows.  

The witness flagged down a passing officer, who was conducting a traffic stop. By the time the officer reached Looney’s, the suspect had left with an unspecified amount of cash.  

Thanksgiving Day vandals 

Four cars had one or more tires deflated by vandals on Nov. 27. Four different residents in the area of Blake and Ellsworth streets notified police of the incidents on Thanksgiving Day. In every case, the tire caps had been removed.  

Police suspect the incident is a Thanksgiving prank by youths home for the holiday. “That sounds more like kids than anything else,” said Officer Andrew Frankel, a department spokesman.  

Purse stolen 

A woman’s purse was stolen from outside her Regal Road house on the afternoon of Nov. 27. Around 3:30 p.m., a woman left her purse on top of an adjacent wall while unloading her car. She returned from the house a short while later and noticed her purse was missing.  

Police advise residents to keep a close eye on their valuables and belongings to combat such “crimes of opportunity.”  

“You would be surprised at how many crimes would be deterred if people locked their doors and secured their effects,” said Frankel.  

Glued locks 

Four Telegraph Avenue businesses reported their locks had been filled with glue on Nov. 28, mirroring a string of incidents on San Pablo Avenue last month.  

Bows and Arrows, Upper Playgroup, Sharks, Sway, and Buffalo Exchange were the latest victims. On Nov. 8, Subway Sandwiches on University and San Pablo avenues and Sea Salt Restaurant on San Pablo Avenue reported similar incidents of vandalism. 

Surveillance footage from one of the businesses caught two suspects in the act. Police described the individuals as a young woman in her 20s with long blonde hair of medium build, wearing a gray or blue zip-up hooded sweatshirt, and a young man in his 20s with long hair or dreadlocks, a gray hooded sweartshirt, and dark pants.  

Armed robbery 

An armed man held up the FedEx/Kinkos store on College Avenue Friday afternoon, making away with an unspecified amount of cash. Around 1:20 p.m., a young man in a black hooded sweatshirt, baggy blue jeans, and white tennis shoes walked into the store, brandished a handgun and demanded the contents of the register. He fled down College Avenue after the money was handed over.  

Two employees and a customer witnessed the incident.  

Race track fight 

A fight broke out between two co-workers at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 30. An argument between two San Leandro women who work at the track turned physical around 7:20 p.m. Both women are pressing for battery charges.