Suspects arrested after two-city commercial burglary spree
The crew hit nine Alameda businesses overnight Monday after breaking into seven shops in Berkeley, authorities said this week.
Police have arrested suspects linked to a burglary spree spanning at least two East Bay cities this week.
In a social media post, local authorities credited license plate reader technology with helping to crack the case.
According to the Alameda Police Department, the burglary crew hit nine businesses in Alameda starting Monday at about 3 a.m.
Those break-ins came on the heels of seven commercial burglaries in Berkeley that took place between 1:30 and 2 a.m. the same day.
Scroll down for an update to the story.
"Evidence gathered at multiple scenes enabled investigators to link the same vehicle and suspects to the burglaries," Alameda police wrote, of the break-ins in their city.
Officers found the involved vehicle in Oakland "within hours" with the help of the Flock camera system.
During the subsequent car stop, officers detained three people resulting in two arrests "on unrelated offenses," Alameda police said.
Police from Oakland and the East Bay Regional Park District assisted in the detention.
"Detectives have since identified additional parties of interest and continue to actively investigate these incidents," Alameda police wrote.
No information about the suspects has been released.
Some of the Berkeley businesses, including chai shop elaichi co. on Allston Way, wrote about what happened on Instagram earlier this week.
"Last night our window was smashed in. Three idiots (not the funny Bollywood movie kind, unfortunately) broke in and went straight for the cash register," they wrote. "Joke’s on them cause we don’t have one. The alarm went off and they ran away with nothing."
They also noted that one of the burglars appeared to have a gun.
"Seems silly to try to steal from small businesses who don’t have much to begin with. All they left was broken glass and our broken hearts," they continued. "We’re so grateful no one was hurt. We’re working to replace the door asap, and we’ll still be open during our regular hours."
Emilie Raguso
The Instagram post prompted more than 2,000 reactions and hundreds of comments — including from the city of Berkeley's Office of Economic Development, which urged elaichi to get in touch to get help through the city's Business Damage Mitigation Fund.
Many customers offered words of support and pledged to visit soon.
Li's Knife Cut Noodle, on Center Street, posted video of the break-in.
As of publication time, Alameda police had not responded to a request for information.
But at least one of the Alameda businesses, Doodlecakes, wrote about what happened on Instagram, noting that several other Park Street businesses may have been hit.
Scenes from one of the Alameda break-ins. Doodlecakes
At 3:23 a.m. Monday, "four hungry cake connoisseurs broke the Doodlecakes bakery storefront window," they wrote.
The burglary crew brought "Mountain Mike's cash register from across the street, which they left on the sidewalk," and "proceeded to steal $10 (ten dollars in single bills) from the tip jar located in a drawer."
"Can you believe they didn’t take our blank gift certificates?! They’re worth more than gold!" they wrote. "But they did take some chocolate hearts, we think!"
As with the elaichi post from Berkeley, messages of support poured in.
"hate this for you guys!!" one customer wrote. "but you guys always find the humor in everything and that’s why we love you!!"
Update, 4:35 p.m. In an interview after publication, Berkeley police emphasized that the case remains active, that some of the burglars were armed (as seen on surveillance video) and that more arrests may be forthcoming.
Police urged local businesses to keep their cash registers empty and open overnight and consider posting signage reflecting the lack of cash on site.
Tip jars should be kept empty, BPD said. Audible alarms and quality surveillance cameras also help.
At this point, investigators believe four people took part in the burglaries. They wore dark clothing and at least some of them are believed to be juveniles.
Crimes in the series may also have taken place this week in Oakland, multiple sources told The Scanner.
The Oakland Police Department has not responded to requests for information.
Stay tuned for updates.
