Berkeley hit-and-run driver suspected of hitting pedestrians on purpose
A hit-and-run driver in Berkeley allegedly deliberately injured multiple pedestrians on Tuesday in different locations, driving onto a sidewalk and later attempting to carjack another person before eventually being arrested, police said.
The Berkeley Police Department said dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting pedestrians hit on Belrose Avenue between Claremont Boulevard and Derby Street just south of the UC Berkeley campus. Callers reported that the vehicle drove onto the sidewalk and hit two people, police said.
While officers were responding, dispatchers updated that the suspect had fled west on Derby Street, and the suspect vehicle, a gray BMW sedan, was found abandoned in the area of Garber Street and Piedmont Avenue next to Emerson Elementary School. Police said the suspect attempted to carjack another vehicle at that location before running away. The suspect, identified as a 26-year-old Vallejo man, was quickly located and arrested two blocks west on College Avenue.
A witness told police they saw a man walking a dog on the sidewalk when the car drove up, hit the man, and dragged him for a distance until he broke free. The witness said he then heard the driver hit the gas and collide with a woman who was jogging on Melrose Avenue.
Officers found a third victim on Derby Street, who, along with the two other pedestrians, was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. All the victims are adults, and their conditions were not disclosed. Police said there were five separate crime scenes under investigation.
According to police, the crashes are believed to be deliberate, but the targets were random and not targeted based on race, politics, or any other community characteristic. Police also said there were two other separate carjackings, and the people in the car were women with children. Both carjackings happened on Gerber Street, police said. Neither of the victims was injured.
A spokesperson for Berkeley Public Schools said there was no impact on operations at Emerson Elementary as the suspect car was abandoned outside the school before the start of the school day.
Police said officers were still in the field interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence, and additional information would be released as it becomes available.
Anyone with information or video footage was asked to contact the Berkeley Police Department.