Man smashes 8 car windshields in the Elmwood district, arrested
The man told police he was angry and was taking his frustration out on inanimate objects, BPD said.
A man armed with a metal pole was arrested after smashing the windshields of eight parked vehicles on College Avenue in Berkeley on Tuesday afternoon, authorities report.
The vandalism series took place on College from Alcatraz Avenue north to around Ashby Avenue, the Berkeley Police Department said in response to a Berkeley Scanner inquiry.
Multiple people witnessed the destruction and called police to report it around 4:15 p.m.
Callers told police they thought the man might be having a mental health crisis.
He reportedly walked north on College from Alcatraz smashing windshields as he went, police said.
Police ultimately stopped the man at College and Russell Street and took him into custody, Berkeley police said.
The man told police he was angry and was taking his frustration out on inanimate objects, BPD said.
Police said car windshields can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to $2,000 to replace.
Gregory Grove. BPD
The man, who was identified by police as 43-year-old Gregory Grove (unhoused), was arrested on suspicion of eight counts of vandalism, according to Berkeley police.
He was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, BPD said, and is being held on $160,000 bail.
He is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, according to court records.
No psychiatric evaluation or treatment was ultimately determined to be needed prior to booking, authorities said.
Note: This story was updated with the man's name, age and booking photograph when that information was provided after publication. BPD initially said the arrested man was 70 years old but that was due to a clerical error.
