TBS Today, Feb. 25

A few quick stories for you today.

A teenage boy at UC Berkeley jumped into a police car after being robbed of five Nike sweatshirts Tuesday. Don't miss details you won't find anywhere else.

Teenage boy robbed at UC Berkeley, Nike sweatshirts taken

The victim jumped into a police cruiser seeking help, according to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Also: A 19-year-old Cal student remains in critical condition this week after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a recent crash in Berkeley.

We learned a bit more about him — and how you can help.

Cal student still critical after crash, GoFundMe underway

Before the crash, Lucas Benitez was studying molecular environmental biology at Cal with an interest in veterinary medicine.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Finally, a freeway shooting not far from the Berkeley border with Oakland closed eastbound Highway 24 for hours Tuesday afternoon.

Highway 24 shooting leaves man wounded, blocks lanes

The CHP closed eastbound SR-24 at Claremont Avenue on Tuesday afternoon “to allow investigators to search for evidence.”

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

In other news

Some community members were wondering about helicopter activity over Tilden park on Tuesday.

East Bay parks told us only that "CHP had a training going on, and PGE was also doing work in the area."

Also, if you need seismic work in Berkeley, you have a month to apply for a city program to help you pay for it: "Get reimbursed up to $3,000 for seismic upgrades to your home, or get the full cost covered if you meet income and program requirements."

We learned about it through Terry Taplin's office.

Apply by March 26 for seismic retrofit grants

Get reimbursed up to $3,000 for seismic upgrades to your home, or get the full cost covered if you meet income and program requirements. Berkeley homeowners can qualify for up to $3,000 to make their foundations more resilient to earthquakes, and those who meet low-income requirements can get reimbursed for the full cost of a seismic upgrade.To qualify for a lottery to get these refunds, Berkeley homeowners should sign up for the statewide Earthquake Brace + Bolt rebate program by March 26 (the program was extended one month from Feb. 26 due to the Los Angeles County fires). Households with annual incomes below $89,040 can qualify for a grant which may cover up to 100 percent of the seismic retrofit cost.

City of Berkeley

And, for Berkeley City Council-watchers, there's a special meeting today at 4 p.m. focused on the city's economic dashboards followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m., which doesn't have much of note on the agenda.

We always check the agendas, but we won't be there tonight.

In case you missed it

Sheriff plane, Flock cameras help police nab armed robbers

A man with a gun robbed a delivery driver of his necklace and cellphone, then fled in a getaway car with a woman behind the wheel.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Citing Price phone call to defense attorney, judge strikes gun count from murder case

Judge Thomas Reardon said the situation “just doesn’t pass the stink test.”

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

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