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POLICE BRIEFS

Staff
Wednesday May 16, 2001

A alleged prostitute working on the 2800 block of San Pablo Avenue just after midnight Thursday was attacked and robbed by a suspected former pimp, police said. 

Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes said a man driving a white Cadillac pulled up beside the alleged prostitute Thursday, got out of the car and began demanding that the woman turn over all her cash. The woman, who claimed to have been assaulted by the man before, took off running across San Pablo Avenue, Lopes said. 

But the alleged pimp caught her on the median dividing San Pablo’s southbound and northbound traffic, Lopes said. As he beat the woman, another woman came running from the Cadillac to help search the victim for money, Lopes said. 

Police responded to a cell phone call from someone who witnessed the attack while driving past on San Pablo. Minutes after the attack, they found the Cadillac driving west on University Avenue, Lopes said. 

Both suspects were charged with robbery and assault, Lopes said. 

••• 

A man released from San Quentin prison Friday morning was back in jail that evening after fighting with a parole officer and attempting to seize the officer’s gun, police said. 

About 3 p.m. Friday a man entered the Berkeley Parole Office on the 1900 block of University Avenue demanding to see a certain parole officer, Lt. Lopes said. 

The officer in questions was not in the office, but another officer, noticing that the suspect had a heavy scent of alcohol on his breath, asked him to remain in the office. The suspect shouted obscenities before running out of the office, Lopes said. 

When the parole officer attempted to detain the man in front of the parole office, a struggle ensued. The suspect allegedly reached for the parole officer’s pistol, concealed underneath his jacket, before other parole officers managed to pull the two apart. 

The suspect was charged with attempted robbery, resisting arrest and violation of parole, Lopes said.  

••• 

An angry SUV driver allegedly attempted to run a man down in his car after a verbal altercation at a gas station Friday. 

About 4:30 p.m. Friday a man filling up at the ARCO station at 833 University Avenue was startled by the sound of a large white SUV crunching into his car’s bumper. 

The driver of the SUV got out of his car and began to berate the man whose car he had damaged, accusing him of having parked incorrectly by the gas pump, Lt. Lopes said. 

An argument ensued, Lopes said, until the SUV driver allegedly grabbed the other man by the neck and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.  

“I’m gonna run your white ass over,” the man allegedly said, as the victim lay sprawled on the ground. 

The assailant returned to his car, did a hasty U-turn, and attempted to run down his victim, Lopes said. But the victim had managed to climb to his feet and leapt out of the way of the SUV, Lopes said. 

Police investigators are still searching for the SUV and its driver, Lopes said. The victim was not seriously injured and declined medical attention at the scene.