Selected calls for service to the Berkeley Police, via CrimeMapping.com. (Scroll down for maps of burglaries, auto burglaries and auto thefts.) Blue icons with a white mask are robberies. Red icons show physical violence. Purple icons with a gun are weapon-related calls. Yellow icons are reports of a disturbance. The “SC” icons are sexual assault calls. Pink icons are drug- or alcohol-related calls, and green ones show vandalism reports. Click the map for the full list.

This is a partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley, compiled by Berkeleyside, and based on reports to the Berkeley Police Department unless otherwise noted. See past crime blotters here. (Note to readers: We always appreciate photographs and tips, about breaking news or neighborhood safety issues, via email at tips@berkeleyside.com.)

The following items represent just a sampling of calls, and times may be approximate. From Sept. 19-15, there were 17 burglary reports, 15 auto break-in or theft from a vehicle reports, and 17 stolen vehicle reports to the Berkeley Police Department, according to CrimeMapping.com. Six robberies and six assaults, domestic violence incidents or batteries were reported. These numbers are subject to change. Click the previous links for the most current information.

Wednesday, Sept. 18

Police arrested an Oakland man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the 2100 block of Allston Way, according to court documents. Police said the assault took place between 5 and 6 a.m. after the man gave the woman methamphetamine and a pipe to smoke it with. She told the man she did not want sexual contact with him, but he took action anyway, police wrote in a document related to the man’s arrest. Later that day, just after 1 p.m., police located a man matching the description provided by the woman, on Milvia Street near Kittredge Street, and ultimately arrested him. The man was identified as 34-year-old Kaidi Clutchette. The Alameda County district attorney’s office ultimately charged Clutchette with possession of a controlled substance; police said they found him with a glass pipe and that, just prior to his arrest, he discarded a plastic baggie containing what appeared to be methamphetamine. Authorities said Clutchette had seven prior convictions and served time in prison related to possession, robbery, sale of a controlled substance and grand theft. He is scheduled for a further pre-trial hearing Oct. 1 at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeleyside Police Blotter: Crime in Berkeley, Sept. 19-25 (1,408 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 9 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Jennifer Coats, Recent crime in Berkeley, University of California Police Department

Berkeley Police arrested two women linked to three robberies on a single day earlier this month. Image: Google Maps

Police arrested two women after a pair of robberies, one of which involved a stun gun, and a robbery attempt also involving a stun gun earlier this month in Berkeley.

On Sept. 15, police said in court documents that the two women, along with a third accomplice, zapped a woman in the neck with a stun gun after convincing her to let them borrow her phone to make a call. At 2:10 p.m., the victim had been walking in the 2500 block of Parker Street, near Telegraph Avenue, when two young women approached her and asked if they could use her phone to call for a ride.

According to court documents, the woman let them use the phone. But, when she asked for it back, they told her they would not return it. One of the robbers then walked up to her and “zapped her on the front of the neck with a stun gun.” They fled and the victim chased them to a waiting Yellow Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Police said the victim then fought with the person who took her phone, and the driver took off with the victim “hanging out of the window.” When the victim could no longer hold on, she fell to the roadway, wrote police, but she was able to grab the stun gun and pull off the watch from the robber’s wrist.(...)

Read the rest of 2 women charged after Berkeley stun gun robberies (418 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 28 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Berkeley robberies, Tasers

Selected calls for service to the Berkeley Police, via CrimeMapping.com. (Scroll down for maps of burglaries, auto burglaries and auto thefts.) Blue icons with a white mask are robberies. Red icons show physical violence. Purple icons with a gun are weapon-related calls. Yellow icons are reports of a disturbance. The “SC” icons are sexual assault calls. Pink icons are drug- or alcohol-related calls, and green ones show vandalism reports. Click the map for the full list.

This is a partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley, compiled by Berkeleyside, and based on reports to the Berkeley Police Department unless otherwise noted. See past crime blotters here. (Note to readers: We always appreciate photographs and tips, about breaking news or neighborhood safety issues, via email at tips@berkeleyside.com.)

The following items represent just a sampling of calls, and times may be approximate. From Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, there were 23 burglary reports, 17 auto break-in or theft from a vehicle reports, and 12 stolen vehicle reports to the Berkeley Police Department, according to CrimeMapping.com. Five robberies and 10 assaults, domestic violence incidents or batteries were reported. These numbers are subject to change. Click the previous links for the most current information.

Thursday, Sept. 26

Two home burglaries were reported, at 1 a.m. in the 2700 block of Parker Street, and at 11:30 a.m. in the 600 block of Spruce Street.

Three commercial burglaries were reported: at 2:40 a.m. in the 1900 block of Addison Street; at 10:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of Shattuck Avenue; and at 3 p.m. in the 800 block of Page Street.

A vehicle was reported stolen at 9 a.m. in the 2400 block of San Pablo Avenue.

A theft and a burglary from a vehicle were reported, at 5 p.m. in the 2700 block of Dana Street, and at 5 p.m. in the 900 block of Grizzly Peak Boulevard.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeleyside Police Blotter: Crime in Berkeley, 9/26-10/2 (1,099 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Recent crime in Berkeley, University of California Police Department

Caffé Mediterraneum on Telegraph Avenue. Image: Google Maps

A local coffee shop owner on Telegraph Avenue fought back after three teens with a gun tried to rob him in late September. The Alameda County district attorney’s office charged the young men with robbery this week.

According to court documents, Jeremiah Lee, Willie Smith and Markeise Prince — all three of Oakland — were loitering inside Caffé Mediterraneum, at 2475 Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley, when Prince grabbed cash from the tip jar and tried to run away just before 11:40 p.m. on Sept. 28.

The café owner, 61-year-old Craig Becker, confronted Prince and tackled him, wrote police. A struggle ensued, and Lee began to punch Becker to try to free Prince, authorities said.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley café owner recounts tip jar robbery with gun (630 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 10 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley robberies, Caffe Mediterraneum, Craig Becker, Telegraph Avenue

Alameda County district attorney’s office seal, via Facebook.

Earlier this month, Berkeley Police detectives arrested two felons in Oakland and confiscated drugs, packaging materials and loaded handguns, according to court documents obtained by Berkeleyside this week.

On Oct. 1, police served a search warrant at the home of Cynthia Simmons and Kevin Franklin in the 1100 block of 34th Street in West Oakland.

Police said they recovered suspected heroin packaged for sale, two loaded handguns — a Colt .32 revolver and a Glock pistol — and packaging materials at the residence.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley Police arrest 2 felons with heroin, handguns (205 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Drugs in Berkeley, Heroin

Alameda County district attorney’s office seal, via Facebook.

A man fingered in a photo line-up as responsible for a robbery in Berkeley in late August has been charged by the Alameda County district attorney’s office with four felonies and a misdemeanor, according to court papers.

In a document related to the arrest of Keith Deon Golson on Oct. 3, police said Golson was identified as the man responsible for an Aug. 30 robbery  in Berkeley of a pedestrian with a cell phone.

Police later obtained a search warrant for Golson’s home, in the 1800 block of Woolsey Street, and said they located the jacket he allegedly wore the night of the robbery. Police found 13 individually-wrapped pieces of suspected cocaine base for sale in the living room, along with a used razor blade and unused packaging material, as well as a cell phone and $105 in mixed bills.(...)

Read the rest of Police arrest Berkeley man with guns after robbery (216 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley robberies, Drugs in Berkeley, Guns in Berkeley

Selected calls for service to the Berkeley Police, via CrimeMapping.com. (Scroll down for maps of burglaries, auto burglaries and auto thefts.) Blue icons with a white mask are robberies. Red icons show physical violence. Purple icons with a gun are weapon-related calls. The “SC” icons are sexual assault calls. Pink icons are drug- or alcohol-related calls, and green ones show vandalism or fraud reports. Click the map for the full list.

[Editor's Note: We always appreciate photographs and tips, about breaking news or neighborhood safety issues, via email at tips@berkeleyside.com or via Facebook or Twitter; please let us know when you write if you prefer to be anonymous.]

This is a partial list of recent crime in Berkeley, compiled by Berkeleyside, and based on reports to the Berkeley Police Department unless otherwise noted. See past crime blotters here.

The following items represent just a sampling of calls, and times may be approximate. From Oct. 3-9, there were 20 burglary reports, 16 auto break-in or theft from a vehicle reports, and 10 stolen vehicle reports to the Berkeley Police Department, according to CrimeMapping.com. Two robberies and eight assaults, domestic violence incidents or batteries were reported. These numbers are subject to change. Click the previous links for the most current information.

Thursday, Oct. 3

Four home burglaries were reported: at 12:37 a.m. in the 400 block of Spruce Street; at 7:45 a.m. in the 700 block of Hilldale Avenue; at 9 p.m. in the 2700 block of Haste Street; and at 11 p.m. in the 2500 block of College Avenue.

Two vehicles were reported stolen, at 1 p.m. in the 2700 block of Ridge Road, and at 2:30 p.m. in the 2500 block of Piedmont Avenue.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeleyside Police Blotter: Crime in Berkeley, Oct. 3-9 (1,548 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 13 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Recent crime in Berkeley, University of California Police Department

Alameda County district attorney’s office seal, via Facebook.

The Alameda County district attorney’s office has charged two Richmond men with robbery after they allegedly stole marijuana from a third man during an attempted drug deal near the Berkeley Pier, according to court documents.

The robbery took place Oct. 4 when the three met up for the deal, which had been arranged in advance by phone, according to authorities. During the deal, one of the buyers, later identified as Jamon Baptiste Ward, grabbed the marijuana from the seller while the other buyer, identified as Cortez Barber, “simulated a gun underneath his shirt,” police said.

The seller backed away and the duo fled in a vehicle from University Avenue and Seawall Drive, where the meeting had taken place. Police said the seller took a photo of their license plate as they drove off at 5 p.m.

Police said Ward’s cell phone number matched the one used to arrange the deal, and that the vehicle used in the getaway was registered to Ward’s mother.(...)

Read the rest of 2 charged with robbery after drug deal gone awry (517 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 7 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Drugs in Berkeley

Jahton Green in 2008. Photo: BPD

An Oakland parolee charged in two Berkeley robberies in August has a lengthy and violent history of attacking elders, according to authorities and media reports dating back to 2008. Two of his alleged victims died following the attacks, and he had only recently been released from prison prior to the most recent incidents.

Jahton Green, 27, is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Nov. 15 at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland. Due to his status as a parolee, he is not eligible for bail. He remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

On Aug. 22, authorities said Green robbed two men in Berkeley — ages 75 and 62 —as they were walking on the street in two different neighborhoods. He pushed one of the victims from behind before stealing his money, and struck the other one in the face, then hit and kicked him after he fell down, before stealing his cell phone and keys, according to court documents.

Green’s cell phone records placed him in Berkeley on the night of the incidents above, police said, “very close to the robbery locations.” Green denied being in Berkeley, according to court records. He was arrested Sept. 4 after police identified him as the suspect in the two cases and completed their investigation.

According to court documents, Green had recently been paroled for the 2008 robbery of an elderly woman in El Cerrito.(...)

Read the rest of Parolee charged in Berkeley robberies has violent past (1,320 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 12 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Berkeley robberies, Elder abuse, Jahton Green, Sgt. Chris Stines, Sgt. Mary Kusmiss

After a car chase with Berkeley Police on Oct. 23, a man crashed this Ford Explorer into a tree on the Alameda. Photo: BPD

A Texas man charged with trying to kill another man by beating him with a pipe-like object in downtown Berkeley, then hitting a police cruiser and crashing into a tree while fleeing authorities, has been scheduled for a mental health review by the court in December.

Duane Nailor, 54, was scheduled to appear in Superior Court in downtown Oakland on Wednesday and was set to enter a plea.

The Alameda County district attorney’s office was unable to say last week whether Nailor actually entered a plea during that hearing, citing the unavailability of information in the court’s computer system, and an inability to reach the deputy district attorney who is handling the case.

According to the Alameda County sheriff’s department, Nailor remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 19 for a hearing to determine whether he is mentally fit to face charges. (...)

Read the rest of Sanity hearing set after near-deadly beating in Berkeley (585 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Duane Nailor

Image: Facebook

Two four-time felons charged earlier this month with a recent Berkeley burglary are set to go before an Alameda County judge for a pre-trial hearing Thursday morning.

Antonio Perry of Berkeley and Antoine Ford of Antioch were arrested Nov. 26 after a report of a “hot prowl” burglary in Berkeley in the 2400 block of Haste Street, just east of Telegraph Avenue, during which a suspect smashed a glass door to an apartment while the unknowing resident was asleep inside.

Berkeley Police said, in court documents, that a witness reported seeing one of the men, identified as Ford, enter a home on Haste while a man identified as Perry acted as a lookout and, later, a get-away driver.

The witness told police that Ford broke the apartment door just before midnight, then left in a vehicle driven by Perry. Police responded to the area but were unable to find them, and the apartment resident told police that nothing had been taken.

Less than two hours later, the witness again called police to report that the car, a Ford Focus, and several occupants had returned to the block.(...)

Read the rest of 2 felons with assault rifle charged in Berkeley burglary (533 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 17 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley burglaries, Berkeley crime

$19,000 worth of products was stolen from the MAC store on Fourth Street. Photo: Fourth Street Shopping

A San Pablo woman is in custody after police linked her vehicle to the theft of more than $19,000 in make-up products from the MAC Cosmetics store on Berkeley’s Fourth Street.

Kristen Hale, 32, is set to appear before an Alameda County judge Thursday for the continuation of her pre-trial hearing in connection with identity theft, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance charges.

According to court documents, surveillance footage from the burglary, on Nov. 19, led police to Hale. A Berkeley Police officer who reviewed the footage said it showed two people get out of a car just before 4 a.m., use a rock to break into the MAC store at 1850 Fourth, and steal the merchandise.

Police got the vehicle’s license plate from the footage, and found that the vehicle was registered to Hale.(...)

Read the rest of Authorities link woman to $19,000 Berkeley make-up heist (431 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 8 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Fourth Street, Identity theft, MAC Cosmetics

Image via Facebook

A Berkeley teenager is facing two felony counts after authorities say he robbed a 31-year-old Davis woman during a drug deal in Berkeley involving medical cannabis.

Jerrone Horn, 19, was arrested Dec. 5 at his home in the 1300 block of Delaware Street after police tied him to the crime using a telephone number.

According to court documents, on Nov. 16, a victim reported being robbed by people with a gun at Allston Way and Bonar Street shortly before 7 p.m. The suspects had responded to a Craigslist advertisement related to the sale of medical cannabis.

The victims — a man and woman — initially reported the loss as an iPhone because they were afraid of getting in trouble for selling marijuana, authorities said in court papers, “but felt obligated to report the fact that the suspects were robbing people with guns.”(...)

Read the rest of Teen arrested after robbery tied to medical cannabis buy (383 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 11 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley medical cannabis, Berkeley robberies, Guns in Berkeley

Ashkenaz has stepped up security following its robbery during a crowded 40th anniversary party earlier this year. Photo: Jeremy Brooks

After nearly two days of witness testimony, the man arrested earlier this year in the shooting that sent two Ashkenaz employees to the hospital with serious injuries was ordered to face the nine felony charges brought against him by the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

The preliminary hearing for Christopher James Washington of Rodeo took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland with Alameda County Superior Court Judge Richard Couzens presiding.

Authorities say Washington is one of two men who robbed Ashkenaz during a crowded 40th anniversary party March 15, shooting two long-time employees in the process. But witnesses for the prosecution said this week that the men began their criminal activities that night with a robbery and sexual assault in Oakland. A victim in that case tracked her stolen phone into Berkeley, where she said she spied Washington and his associate just before the Ashkenaz robbery, then again minutes later as they ran up Gilman Street pursued by a Berkeley Police cruiser.(...)

Read the rest of Judge says alleged Ashkenaz shooter must stand trial (3,297 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 14 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Ashkenaz, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Berkeley robberies, Christopher James Washington, Mitch Fine, Nora Wong, Shan Johnson, Shootings in Berkeley, William Boselli

Authorities arrested two West Berkeley roommates earlier this month, tying them to a drug sales operation involving prescription pills and a mail order marijuana business.

According to court documents, a traffic stop Dec. 3 was the beginning of an investigation that ultimately uncovered more than 500 prescription pills and 17 pounds of marijuana in a home in the 2200 block of Sixth Street, along with another nine pounds of marijuana discovered during the vehicle stop.

At approximately 5:45 that night, Berkeley Police officer Chris Flores wrote that he stopped Joshua Carl Hamburg, 22, after seeing him run a stop sign at Seventh and Hearst streets. During the stop, Flores said he smelled “a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.”

He asked Hamburg about the smell “and he showed me a bud of marijuana that he had on top of his middle console,” wrote Flores.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley men arrested, linked to pills, 26 pounds of pot (438 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 19 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Drugs in Berkeley, Marijuana

Police say Christopher D. Newton stole the unattended wallets of participants at various yoga classes in Berkeley. Photo: Augusto Mia Battaglia

A man authorities say is responsible for a series of burglaries over the past year in Berkeley at four yoga studios, a capoeira gym and a restaurant has been charged with six felony commercial burglary counts by the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

According to court documents, Berkeley police say 20-year-old Christopher D. Newton stole unattended wallets, often while participants took classes.

Police said Newton would then use the pilfered credit cards to make purchases before victims knew to cancel the cards.(...)

Read the rest of Alleged yoga class burglar arrested in Berkeley (271 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 4 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley burglaries, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police

Image via Facebook

A recent Berkeley Police Department probation search in Oakland netted heroin, counterfeit money, cocaine and two firearms, one of which was an assault rifle, and the other of which was a handgun that had been reported stolen in Vallejo, according to court documents.

On Jan. 3, Berkeley officers served a search warrant in the 9800 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland at the apartment of Javon Coggins and Yasmine Johnson. They also served a probation search of Heshimu Courtney, who was inside their home when police arrived.

Inside the apartment, police found a loaded black assault rifle, an unloaded Phoenix Arms .22 caliber handgun, and .44 grams of loose suspected heroin, according to court papers. The handgun had been reported to the Vallejo Police Department in 2012 as stolen.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley police arrest 3 with heroin, loaded assault rifle (525 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 13 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Drugs in Berkeley, Guns in Berkeley

A Hercules man has been charged with identity theft and forgery after walking into a Berkeley bank and pretending to be someone else earlier this month, authorities said.

A small memorial was set up in West Berkeley near the site of Zontee Jones’ death early last year. Photo: Emilie Raguso

Two cousins are slated to face murder charges in the shooting death in West Berkeley last year of Zontee Jones after an Alameda County Superior Court judge’s ruling this week.

After a short hearing, which included testimony from two witnesses Wednesday morning, Judge Trina Thompson said the district attorney’s office had presented enough evidence for the murder case against 22-year-old Maurice Thomas Jr. to move forward to trial.

Authorities allege that Thomas shot Jones, 34, on Feb. 4, 2013, at Delaware Street west of San Pablo Avenue after an argument between Jones and Jevon Calland, a mutual acquaintance and the first cousin of Thomas. Calland, 21, has also been charged with murder, and was ordered last July to face those charges. He entered a “not guilty” plea a short time later. He had been arrested in Antioch several weeks prior.

Thomas was arrested by police in San Diego in connection with two drug-related violations July 4, and has been in custody since then. He had been picked up near the crime scene and held by police for several days immediately after the Jones murder, but ultimately was released, according to court records. Both men are being held without bail in different areas at Santa Rita Jail, according to the Alameda County sheriff’s department.

According to testimony this week by Calland’s sister, Jewaya Calland, who is also Thomas’ first cousin, Calland and Jones had been involved in an on-going dispute about Calland’s girlfriend. That woman had dated Jones approximately five years prior, according to court testimony last year.(...)

Read the rest of Dispute over woman led to Berkeley man’s murder (2,538 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 22 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Berkeley crime, H. Ernesto Castillo, Homicide in Berkeley, Jevon Calland, Maurice Thomas Jr., Shootings in Berkeley, William Boselli, Zontee Jones

Over the past six months, there have been at least six reported robberies at Woolsey and Tremont streets in Berkeley, and six others in the immediate vicinity. Image: CrimeMapping.com

Authorities have charged an Oakland man — reported to have taken a wedding ring off a man’s finger while holding a gun on him during a robbery in South Berkeley in mid-January — with three felony counts, according to court records.

Damien Scipio, 21, has been charged with second-degree robbery and grand theft, two counts, by the Alameda County district attorney’s office. (He also was identified in court papers as Damienantonio Nickalai Scipio.) Berkeley Police picked up Scipio at his West Oakland home on a warrant Jan. 23, which stemmed from their investigation into a robbery near the Ashby BART station the prior week.

In that case, the victim told Berkeleyside he had been walking home into North Oakland when three men robbed him near Woolsey and Tremont streets in South Berkeley shortly after 8 p.m. on Jan. 14. One man, later identified as Scipio, held a gun on him, while the other men held his arms and took his property. After taking his phone and his bag, the men walked away and told him to walk in the other direction. But then the man with the gun came back and took the victim’s wedding ring off his finger, at the urging of his accomplices.(...)

Read the rest of Alleged Berkeley wedding ring robber arrested, charged (634 words)

By emilie. | Permalink | 6 comments |
Post tags: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, Ashby BART, Berkeley crime, Berkeley Police, Berkeley robberies, Cell phone, Guns in Berkeley, South Berkeley