Berkeley father recovering after brutal College Avenue attack
"It's pretty hard to see my dad go through this," said Axel Becerra, 26, on Monday. "He was injured really badly."
Weeks after he was attacked and robbed while leaving work on College Avenue, Roman Becerra is still struggling to eat and speak.
After the attack, Becerra, 45, was in the hospital for six days. The damage to his face included a fractured nose and other broken bones, significant injuries to his tongue and several cracked and loose teeth (two would later fall out).
Thousands of dollars he'd withdrawn from the ATM earlier that night to pay his rent was gone.
"It's pretty hard to see my dad go through this," said Axel Becerra, 26, on Monday. "He was injured really badly."
The night of the robbery, June 29, Becerra told his son he had seen people eyeing him from a vehicle as he walked north from 5 Tacos & Beers on College Avenue toward 7-Eleven at about 11:20 p.m.
He managed to call Axel for help — but doesn't remember doing it.
"The only reason I found my dad is because I had his location," Axel said. "It was a miracle."
They believe Becerra was struck with a baseball bat, based on his injuries, and that the assailants may have waited around after seeing him at the ATM.
Becerra, who has worked in local restaurants for a decade and raised his family in Berkeley — Axel went to Berkeley High — "does a little bit of everything" at 5 Tacos & Beers, including spending a lot of time with customers.
"He's always outside talking to people," Axel said. "The community knows him."
Becerra's popularly might help explain why a fundraiser Axel created to help his father has done so well. Businesses on the block have been helping spread the word by posting fliers on their windows.
But, between the $17,000 hospital bill and what's expected to be a monthslong road to recovery, the family is still hoping for support.
It remains unclear when Becerra will be able to go back to work.
"He can barely speak. He's just trying to heal," said Axel, a subcontractor for PG&E. "It could be a year."
The Elmwood neighborhood where the robbery took place tends to be safe. But Becerra's attack wasn't the first violent incident there this year.
On Jan. 12, the owner of a restaurant near 5 Tacos & Beers was pistol-whipped and robbed in the city parking lot around the corner.
At this point, Berkeley police do not believe the crimes are related. There have been no arrests in either case.
This week, Axel Becerra said he hopes to see stepped-up security, including more surveillance cameras, on College Avenue, especially to improve safety for local workers.
"The trauma isn't going to go away," he said. "This is going to happen again."
