TBS Today, Nov. 1

We had the sad news early this morning about the latest Berkeley traffic fatality.

A man in his 30s was killed in a solo motorcycle crash on Adeline Street.

Remember: If there's a critical incident, we always try to cover it, no matter what the hour.

UPDATE: Motorcycle rider killed in solo crash in Berkeley

Efforts to revive the rider failed at the scene. He was pronounced dead at about 12:35 a.m.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

If you think there's something we should know, don't hesitate to send a tip.

In other news

The East Bay Times and East Bay Insiders both had updates today on a story that broke a few weeks ago: allegations of a $25,000 shakedown by Pamela Price of Mario Juarez, a political rival.

Both news orgs wrote about new exhibits filed in the case, including DA's office notes from a prosecutor who was told the case should not be dismissed "because DA Pamela Price would not be happy with that."

The prosecutor also said she was told "all decisions on the Mario Juarez case needed to be run through" Otis Bruce Jr., Price's top deputy who has since left.

"The instruction to run all decisions on the case through Mr. Bruce seemed strange, as he had never done this before," according to the notes.

"DA Price wants to be notified about the status of this case," Bruce also told several colleagues by email.

The lead prosecutor was later removed from the case and told not to talk about it, which was "highly unusual, as DDAs frequently consult with each other about cases," according to the notes. "The bottom line is that this case was handled differently from other cases."

While some have disputed that the shakedown took place and questioned the credibility of the man making the claims, it's notable that Price and Bruce would have taken such a close interest in a somewhat low-level felony check fraud case — that even the lead prosecutor assigned to it thought should be dropped due to lack of evidence.

We didn't write a new story today, but we did get the exhibits.

Here's our story from a few weeks ago, in case you missed it.

DA Pamela Price accused of $25,000 extortion attempt

Ernie Castillo says his client was hit with a felony after refusing to make a hefty campaign donation to DA Pamela Price in January.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

As of today, at least 23% of Alameda County's 962,340 ballots have been returned, according to PDI, a political data firm. It's about the same in Berkeley, where at least 22% of the city's 74,584 ballots are in.

We also had some inquiries this week about an apparent suicide near campus in Southside Berkeley.

We follow best practices and generally do not cover suicides unless they are highly visible or otherwise disruptive so as not to inspire others to follow suit, a phenomenon known as suicide contagion.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon and a lot of students were talking about it on Reddit.

We did check with the coroner's office today, which said the individual had not been identified yet.

We also wanted to thank those of you who alerted us to an odd NextDoor post this week that prompted repeated personal attacks from a particular community member.

His comments were baseless, inaccurate and inexplicable, particularly as this is someone we've only known in passing.

That said: It was incredible to see the strong community support the post inspired. Thank you all.

Otherwise: We haven't quite finished our City Council story from this week on police staffing and other BPD updates. Stay tuned!

In case you missed it

Lawsuit alleges anti-Asian discrimination by Pamela Price

Craig Chew says he was fired after raising concerns about Price’s attempts to get around legally mandated background checks.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Another armed carjacking on Gilman Street in Berkeley

Berkeley police said three people, each carrying a gun, approached the victim and took their car, a metallic Dodge Charger.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Fall 2024 election guide for Berkeley and Alameda County

Here are many of the key races you’ll find on the ballot in Berkeley on Nov. 5, 2024. We’ll keep this voter guide updated as it gets closer.

The Berkeley ScannerEditor’s desk

Where do Berkeley mayoral candidates stand on crime?

The candidates have similarities, but their positions on policing, the Police Accountability Board and cameras reveal key differences.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Harvard's Nieman Lab featured The Scanner in a story this week.

Is the crime news people crave the crime news they <em>need</em>?

“We need to better understand what people mean when they say ‘safety.’”

Nieman LabSophie Culpepper

See all our recent stories. Learn more about our work.

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