BPD: Skateboarder chased driver before road rage stabbing
The skateboarder pursued the driver for more than a mile and then stabbed him when he got out of his car, police said.
A man riding an electric skateboard stabbed a driver in the head Thursday after a road rage incident in the Berkeley Hills, authorities report.
The victim, a Berkeley man in his 40s, is expected to survive, police said.
The incident began shortly before 4:40 p.m. at Euclid Avenue and Cedar Street, Berkeley police said in response to a Scanner inquiry.
That's when the driver and the skateboarder got into some type of argument in the roadway, police said.
The skateboarder then pursued the driver to Arlington and Mendocino avenues, about 1.5 miles away, authorities said.
When the driver got out of his car, the skateboarder stabbed him in the side of the head and fled, BPD said.
The assailant was described over the radio as a white man in his 20s, 6 feet tall with a thin build, wearing a neon green helmet and black clothing.
Officers found the victim outside Raxakoul Coffee & Cheese at 299 Arlington Ave. (at Amherst Avenue) in Kensington.
Kensington police and the Albany Fire Department also responded.
The driver's shirt was covered in blood and his head was bandaged by first responders at the scene, according to a witness who was in the area.
He initially declined transport but was ultimately taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to police and the witness.
No arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation, police said.
Berkeley stabbing reports appear to be up
Serious stabbings have typically been rare in Berkeley. That may be changing.
In January, a man was charged with murder after stabbing a man and woman while confronting them in West Berkeley about stealing his van, authorities have said.
During the confrontation, the woman — who later died — also stabbed the van owner, police said previously.
(The case against the van owner was recently dismissed.)
On April 9, two people fled on scooters after stabbing a teenage boy as he walked home from the gym in southwest Berkeley.
About two weeks later, a stabbing near UC Berkeley left a young man in critical condition. The April 22 incident was witnessed by 60-100 horrified onlookers, including many Cal students.
In late April, a homeless man was stabbed in downtown Berkeley on Center Street outside the shelter where he stays, authorities said.
Days later, the Citizen app sent out a spurious alert to thousands of people about a double stabbing at Ashby BART — which actually had not happened. (Authorities said there was a similar report around the same time near Fruitvale BART station in Oakland.)
On May 3, a young man was stabbed in a UC Berkeley parking lot while enjoying the view with his girlfriend.
The next day, a homeless man was stabbed in a popular Berkeley shopping district after trying to punch a local worker who rebuked him for public urination, authorities report.
