6 Berkeley restaurants hit in overnight burglary spree
Someone also kicked in the door at a Berkeley jewelry shop but police said that incident appeared to be unrelated.
Six popular restaurants were burglarized on a single night in Berkeley this week and authorities say they believe the crimes are related.
All the break-ins happened overnight Thursday, Berkeley police said in a prepared statement.
Police initially "received several calls" at about 4 a.m. Thursday about "individuals breaking into businesses on the 2500 block of Durant Avenue."
Responding to the block, officers found smashed windows and evidence of forced entry at IB's Cheesesteaks, Kingpin Donuts and Gypsy's Trattoria Italiana, BPD said.
Shattered glass at IB's Cheesesteaks on Durant Avenue and Bobby G's Pizzeria on University Avenue. BPD
About an hour later, a different caller alerted police to three other businesses — Cafe Rio, Imm Thai Street Food and Bobby G's Pizzeria — that had been burglarized in the 2000 block of University Avenue, 1 mile away.
Those businesses "sustained similar property damage, with front windows shattered and signs of break-ins," BPD said.
Detectives "believe these six burglaries may be related," BPD said, based on (unspecified) evidence at the scenes.
The department's Property Crimes Unit will now investigate further.
Police also received a report Thursday, just after 5:15 a.m., about a jewelry shop that had its door kicked in on the 1000 block of Carleton Street — but do not believe that break-in is linked to the other crimes.
BPD said it could not share details this week about what was taken or the value of the losses due to the ongoing investigation.
Authorities ask anyone who may have information about the crimes or video footage to share to call BPD's Property Crimes Unit at 510-981-5900.
"Community cooperation is essential in helping identify those responsible and preventing future incidents," police said this week. "Additional updates will be provided as new information becomes available."
Commercial burglaries are down in Berkeley this year
As of Oct. 2, Berkeley had had about 224 commercial burglaries this year, compared to 317 over the same period last year, a 29% reduction, according to BPD data.
But there have been several notable spikes or clusters of commercial burglary reports, including in June and August.
Over the Labor Day weekend, burglars broke into at least two Berkeley restaurants and another five in Albany, making a mess but finding little of value.
Read more about what happened.
Emilie Raguso
