Editorials

Two men were shot Thursday morning on West Frontage Road, according to Berkeley police. 

The motive behind the shooting is still unclear, police spokesperson Sgt. Kay Lantow said Friday..  

The first victim, a 32-year-old Oakland resident, was sitting in his car talking to a woman when a car pulled up behind theirs.  

Two men allegedly got out of the car and began shooting. According to Lantow, the woman in the car, who was unharmed, got out of the vehicle and ran south on Frontage Road screaming for help, before hiding in her own car parked five cars down the road.  

The man, who was shot in the liver, drove himself to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center then was transported to Highland Hospital trauma center via ambulance, Lantow said. 

A second man shot near his spinal chord, who also showed up at Alta Bates, was apparently a bystander on Frontage Road, Lantow said. 

There are no suspects. Neither of the victims have been released from the hospital.  

••• 

A man brandishing a semi-automatic weapon may have been involved in two robberies over the last week, according to Sgt. Lantow. 

The suspect, described as a 5 foot 9 inch 200-pound Hispanic male in his 20s, and two companions, also in their 20s and armed with revolvers, allegedly robbed three men walking on the 2800 block of College Avenue at 2:30 a.m. July 27.  

Lantow said the suspects, who were walking in front of the victims, slowed their pace, then encircled the victims demanding money. The suspects allegedly stole credit and ATM cards, $80 cash, a watch, a cell phone and a wallet before running off. There were no injuries.  

On Sunday, a 25-year-old man walking on College Avenue near Parker Street was robbed by a similarly described suspect – a 5 foot 9 inch, 200-pound Hispanic male in his 20s with a shaved head and a goatee, wearing a black hooded sweater and blue jeans. 

Lantow said the victim was walking home on College Avenue at 1:40 a.m. when a man walking in front of him turned the corner onto Parker Street.  

When the victim got to the intersection, he found the suspect waiting with a dark-colored gun, according to Lantow. The suspect allegedly forced the victim to give him his credit cards and the $11 he had on him.  

Not satisfied with the cash, the suspect allegedly patted the victim down in search for more, but did not find any more cash before he ran off. There were no injuries. There have been no solid leads in either of these cases. 

– Compiled by Kenyatte Davis