Six robberies took place within a three-hour period Saturday night, as first reported by Berkeleyside.
According to Berkeley Police Department watch commander Lt. Joe Okies, all six robberies were “completed robberies,” but no suspects were arrested. He added that he did not know of any injuries that were reported to BPD in connection with the six robberies.
The first robbery occurred about 6:05 p.m. in the area of Russell and Fulton streets, according to Okies.
“That was a robbery via gun,” Okies said. “(The) suspect was described as a Black male, 30 to 45 years of age, 6 feet tall, with black dreadlocks, wearing a large dark puffy jacket (and) armed with a handgun.”
The second robbery was a strong arm robbery that took place in the 2300 block of California Street about 6:53 p.m., Okies said. There were two suspects associated with the crime — one was described as a male in his late teens to early 20s who wore a hooded sweatshirt, and the other was merely described as a male.
Two suspects were also involved in a third robbery about 7:01 p.m. in the 2100 block of Woolsey Street, Okies said. The first suspect was described as a Black male in his teens to 20s, about 5-foot-6 with a thin build and short hair. The second suspect was described as a Black male, also in his teens to 20s.
The fourth robbery occurred about 7:17 p.m. in a 2400 block of Blake Street, according to Okies. The first suspect was armed with a handgun.
“(The) suspect (was) described as a Black male adult, around 6 feet, in his 20s, thin build, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and jeans,” Okies said. “(The) second suspect (was) described as a Black male, also around 6 feet, medium build, wearing a hooded sweatshirt.”
According to Okies, a fifth robbery involving four suspects — who were all described as Black males — took place about 7:40 p.m. near Acton and Rose streets.
The final robbery involved two suspects and occurred about 8:22 p.m. in a 2500 block of Benvenue Avenue, Okies said. The first suspect was described as a male in his 20s to 30s with a dark complexion and medium build, about 5-foot-7. He was also reportedly wearing a dark colored jacket and a mask. The second suspect was described as a Black male in his 20s, about 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8, with a medium build. According to Okies, the second suspect was armed with a handgun.
Although Okies was unsure whether the frequency of these robberies was an unusual occurrence, he did say that BPD investigators “will be looking into” whether all six crimes are connected.
“It’s a large number of robberies in a short period of time,” Okies said.
