2 carjackings reported in Berkeley in recent days
The incidents were unusual: There have been only six other carjackings reported in Berkeley this entire year, according to BPD data.
Police are investigating two carjacking reports in Berkeley in just two days.
The incidents were unusual: There have been only six other carjackings reported in Berkeley this entire year, according to BPD data.
Last Wednesday, Oct. 23, someone in a silver car took a blue Kia Sportage during a carjacking in the 1500 block of Keoncrest Drive in North Berkeley at 5:40 a.m.
About 24 hours later, five people pulled up next to someone in the 600 block of Gilman Street in northwest Berkeley, brandished a gun and took their gray Infiniti G37 shortly before 6 a.m.
Police responded to Gilman Street but were unable to find the culprits.
The vehicle was later recovered in Oakland, Berkeley police said this week.
There was also a report of a carjacking attempt at the North Berkeley BART station around the same time as the incident on Gilman Street, but the victim was able to get away and call police from a safe location, according to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.
There have been about 170 robberies in Berkeley so far this year, a significant drop from last year's spike and also historic averages — when Berkeley saw about one robbery a day.
According to BPD data, there have been at least four other robberies in Berkeley in the past week.
On Tuesday morning, two men with a gun robbed a crew of workers of equipment they were using to inspect sewer pipes in central Berkeley.
About 20% of Berkeley's robberies have tended to involve a gun.
