An armed robbery occurred Monday night in Oxford Lane — at the southwest corner of Eucalyptus Grove — involving three men and three female juveniles, according to a UCPD crime alert.
One of the suspects and the victims — three female juveniles unaffiliated with UC Berkeley — made contact initially in the Oxford Lane alleyway where the suspect, riding a bicycle, approached them for a conversation.
That same suspect then left only to return 10 minutes later, at around 8:15 p.m., in a black SUV with two other suspects. The encounter began to turn physical when the male suspects began “grabbing the victims inappropriately,” according to the crime alert.
The three victims attempted to escape but were stopped when the first suspect revealed a handgun and aimed it at the victims. The first suspect then grabbed a bracelet from one of the victim’s arms and attempted to take her phone. A struggle between the two ensued, with the three suspects eventually fleeing the scene in their SUV, going southbound on Oxford Street. None of the victims were injured.
According to Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, spokesperson for the Berkeley Police Department, one of the victims then alerted the department with a 911 call from her cellphone at around 8:19 p.m. She said BPD arrived on the scene promptly at around 8:20 p.m.
A total of five Berkeley police officers and two sergeants were on the scene to take statements and “conducted area checks for the suspects.” Neither the suspects nor their vehicle were found.
The three suspects are still outstanding, according to Kusmiss.
The first suspect was described as a Hispanic male, between 17 and 18 years old, with an average height and build, wearing a gray beanie and black hooded sweatshirt and armed with a handgun.
The second suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male, 18 to 20 years old, with an average height and build, wearing a dark beanie, a white t-shirt and baggy jeans. The third suspect was described in the crime alert as a Hispanic male.