Features

Amoeba smash 

A passerby punched through the storefront glass of Amoeba Records on the afternoon of Nov. 6. Employees told police that a blond man in his 20s, wearing baggy blue jeans and a long grey coat, was walking by and lashed out at the glass around 2 p.m. One of the employees followed the man to nearby People’s Park, where someone gave him a bike, and he rode off.  

High school holdup 

Four teenage boys were robbed at gunpoint around 4:15 p.m. on Nov. 6 on the 1900 block of Center Street. The youths, all Berkeley residents under 18, were sitting in Civic Center Park when a tall, thin young man in dark clothing approached them. 

The man, who stood about 6’2” and had braces, brandished a gun and demanded their belongings. He fled after taking their cell phones and an undisclosed amount of cash.  

Credit card fraud 

Police are investigating alleged credit card fraud at Andronico’s on Nov. 7. A customer contacted authorities on Friday, claiming that their credit card was being charged by someone else. They believe the responsible party is an Andronico’s employee. 

Gas theft 

Although gas prices have plummeted recently, gas theft is still a problem. Around 9 a.m. Nov. 7, a woman who parked her truck overnight on Shattuck Avenue noticed that the gas door was ajar and the tank cap was loose. When she started the engine, she found that the fuel gauge was lower. According Officer Andrew Frankel, a police spokesperson, such incidents were more common during the summer, when gas prices were at record highs. “I don’t recall any spate of them recently.”  

Stolen car chase 

A car stolen from Cragmont Avenue was recovered Nov. 8 after police spotted and pursued the stolen vehicle early that morning. According to spokesperson Andrew Frankel, police were responding to reports of auto burglaries in the area of Grizzly Peak Boulevard where they spotted and gave chase to a silver Audi A4 traveling at a high rate of speed. The Audi hit a parked car, and the suspect fled on foot.  

The Audi was returned to its owner. Two other related reports of auto burglaries were reported in the same area that evening.  

Stickup robberies 

Two stickup robberies took place on Harper Street Nov. 8. A woman was robbed around 1 p.m. by two men of medium height wearing white T-shirts and jeans. One of the men threatened her with a small silver pistol and demanded her belongings. The two fled northbound on Harper with her purse.  

Around 4:20 p.m., a man was held up by two different robbers at Harper and Ashby. The victim told police he was walking southbound on Harper when he was approached by two young men. One of them, who was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and jeans, pulled a black revolver and demanded the man’s backpack. He fled with an accomplice whom the victim could not identify.  

Vandalism 

Two West Berkeley businesses reported similar incidents of vandalism Nov. 8. Around 7 p.m., Subway Sandwiches in the 1100 block of University Avenue reported its locks were filled with glue. Two hours later, Sea Salt Restaurant on San Pablo Avenue also reported locks filled with glue.