Berkeley power outage, road closures after hit-and-run crash
Update: The pickup truck from the crash had been stolen from Richmond, police determined later.
A driver who ran into a power pole, then fled the scene, knocked out electricity to more than a thousand PG&E customers in West Berkeley on Tuesday, according to police and community reports.
Berkeley police have advised pedestrians and motorists to avoid Addison and Sixth streets due to the downed pole, according to a 3:30 p.m. Nixle alert.
A Scanner reader shared a photograph of the collision, which involved a white pickup truck that knocked the pole askew.
The crash happened at about 2:50 p.m., Berkeley police said. A witness called it in.
Police said the driver — a slender Black man in his 20s in blue jeans and a black hoodie — ran from the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
The pole "completely sheared off and landed on itself" as a result of the collision, authorities said.
The city has reported two road closures, on Sixth Street between University Avenue and Allston Way, and on Addison Street from Fifth Street to Sixth Street.
"Please use alternate detours until further notice," police said.
PG&E's outage map showed power out for 1,127 customers a short time ago. As of publication time, that number had dropped to 741.
The Scanner has asked PG&E for comment.
This story will be updated if additional details become available.
Update, Wednesday, July 22, 2:20 p.m. The pickup truck from the crash had been stolen from Richmond, police determined later.
PG&E provided the following statement Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. (It appears below in full.)
The outage started at approximately 3:00 pm, and was caused by a third-party vehicle that struck a pole.
At the peak, the outage impacted 1,114 customers; at this time, we are down to 689 customers affected. We are working on making repairs and restoring power, safely and as quickly as possible.
We remind customers, if you see low or downed power lines, always assume they are live, keep yourself and others away, and call 911 and PG&E immediately.
As of this update, power appears to have been restored. Police have not said whether the roadway has reopened.
