Berkeley Police Department ask public for help identifying burglary suspect
Berkeley Police Department released a Nixle alert Wednesday afternoon, in which it asked the public for its help to identify a suspect in a burglary.
The alert alleged that the suspect pictured in the above image is responsible for an auto burglary that occurred in a parking lot in the 900 block of Heinz Avenue on Thursday between 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
According to the alert, the suspect’s image was captured by surveillance cameras on two separate occasions. The first time, the suspect was seen Jan. 11 about 8:00 p.m. “casing cars” in the parking lot.
“Somebody who is casing cars is looking to see if there’s anything of value worth stealing, maybe looking to see if there was a car door left unlocked — looking for an opportunity to commit a crime,” said BPD spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Frankel. “Based on his behavior, it looked like he was looking for an opportunity.”
The second time the suspect was filmed was Thursday, when he allegedly burglarized a parked car, the alert said. According to Frankel, the suspect allegedly broke into the car and stole some property from the vehicle.
Both times the suspect was captured on surveillance cameras, he was seen driving the same getaway car, which appears to be a newer model, black Mercedes four door with paper plates and chrome rims, according to the alert.
The alert described the suspect as a heavyset, Black male adult with a dark complexion, between the ages of 22 and 32. In the photo from Jan. 11, the suspect is wearing a blue and red hooded sweatshirt over a white hat. In the image from Thursday, he is wearing a “Kansas City Royals” baseball cap and a black jacket with a white logo over a white shirt.
Anyone with information about this suspect’s identity is asked to call BPD Property Crimes Detail at 510-981-5737.
Check back for updates.
Chantelle Lee is an assistant news editor. Contact her at chantellelee@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter at @ChantelleHLee.