Berkeley police respond to 3 thefts in 1 week
Three thefts have occurred since May 13, according to an email sent by Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Byron White.
The first, on May 13, was a laptop theft that occurred at a Whole Foods Market. At about 6:00 p.m., a woman working on her laptop was approached by two male suspects who proceeded to steal the woman’s laptop and flee the store. According to the report, the suspects dropped the laptop while being chased by a good Samaritan and a security guard.
A cellphone theft occurred May 14 at about 9:15 p.m. on Alcatraz Avenue. A woman walking on the street set her phone down on a utility box when a male suspect took the phone and fled, according to BPD’s email. A passerby began chasing the suspect, and the suspect dropped the phone.
Another cellphone theft occurred on Saturday at about 5:00 p.m. on the corner of Durant Avenue and Dana Street. Two young male suspects approached a woman and asked to use her phone — the younger of the two claimed his phone was broken and that he wanted to call his mother. When the woman gave them her phone, the two suspects passed it between them, making the victim lose track of her phone’s location, before each suspect ran a different direction, according to White’s email. The older of the two suspects was later found and arrested on suspicion of grand theft.
Ben Klein is an assistant news editor. Contact him at bklein@dailycal.org and follow him on Twitter at @BenKlein_dc.