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BERKELEY'S NEWS • SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

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Police investigate armed robbery, kidnapping near campus

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Former Editor in Chief and President

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Update 12/17/2014: UCPD has arrested three suspects in connection with the armed robbery and kidnapping case as of Dec. 16.

A man and woman were robbed at gunpoint and temporarily kidnapped early Thanksgiving morning near the UC Berkeley campus.

The two victims, a 23-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, are both unaffiliated with the campus and were not injured during the encounter, according to a UCPD crime alert. Police announced Monday that three suspects were arrested in connection with the case.

At approximately 2 a.m. on Thursday, three men — two armed with handguns and one holding a baseball bat — approached the two victims, who were sitting in their vehicle looking out toward the bay at a dirt turn-out along Grizzly Peak Boulevard.

The road is situated east of the campus and wraps around the Berkeley Hills. Police did not immediately indicate where along the boulevard the incident occurred.

When the suspects demanded their money and the man and woman said they had none, one of the suspects entered their vehicle and ordered they drive to an ATM. As they drove, the other two suspects trailed their car in the suspect vehicle.

At the ATM, the man and woman turned over their cash, and the suspects departed the area, leaving the man and woman unharmed.

UCPD is investigating the case as an armed robbery and kidnapping. Police requested that those with information pertaining to the crime contact the criminal investigation bureau at 510-642-0472 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 510-642-6760 at all other times.

Authorities said they have cause to believe the suspects committed similar crimes Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the hills between Berkeley and Oakland.

“We are asking for any additional victims or witnesses to please contact the UC Berkeley Police Department or their own local police department to make a report as soon as possible,” an updated UCPD alert read.

According to the crime alert, the suspects are described as:

Suspect No. 1 — A white male, approximately 5-foot-5 in height, with a slim build and armed with a firearm or baseball bat.

Suspect No. 2 — A white male, approximately 6-foot-3 in height, with a medium build and armed with a firearm or baseball bat.

Suspect No. 3 — A white male, approximately 5-foot-5 in height, with a slim build, wearing a black beanie-style cap and red hooded sweatshirt and armed with a firearm or baseball bat.

The suspect vehicle is described as a red, four-door, square-type vehicle.

Corrections: Due to misinformation from a source, an earlier update on this article stated that the three suspects had been arrested as of Dec. 1. In fact, police arrested the three suspects as of Dec. 16.
Kimberly Veklerov is a news editor. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @KVeklerov.
LAST UPDATED

DECEMBER 18, 2014


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