Robbery suspect escapes amid Berkeley police search
Local residents told The Scanner police set up flares in the street and were walking through the neighborhood with flashlights.
Berkeley police seized a robbery suspect's vehicle at a local gas station Saturday evening but the suspect himself got away, authorities report.
The incident began with a Flock license plate hit at about 4:40 p.m., Berkeley police said in response to a Scanner inquiry.
An officer spotted the wanted man pumping gas at the Valero station at University Avenue and Seventh Street, authorities said.
The suspect ran off before officers could stop him, leaving the car behind, police said.
Officers set up a perimeter on Hearst Avenue at Seventh and Eighth streets in an attempt to find him.
Read more about crime in Berkeley.
Local residents told The Scanner police set up flares in the street and were walking through the neighborhood with flashlights.
"When I asked, they said they were looking for a person who was accused of armed robbery and to go inside and lock my doors," one community member told TBS.
Shortly before 6 p.m., unable to locate the suspect, police called off the search.
They did find a replica firearm in the man's vehicle, BPD said.
Stay tuned for updates.
