Girls, 15 and 16, Arrested In 2 Robberies, 1 at BART Station in Berkeley

BERKELEY, CA – Berkeley police on Wednesday arrested two teenage girls on suspicion of robbery and officers are searching for three male robbery suspects who are still at large, police said.

Someone called police at 10:55 p.m. on Wednesday to report a strong arm robbery at the North Berkeley BART station.

Less than a few minutes later, someone reported another robbery in the 1500 block of Virginia Street, according to police. The victim told police that the suspects left the scene in a silver sedan.

An officer responding to the robbery saw the sedan traveling south on Sacramento Street and followed it while waiting for backup, police said.

When the sedan ran a red light at Sacramento Street and University Avenue, the officer turned on his lights and sirens to try to stop the vehicle.

But the driver kept going, turning west on Allston Way. A block later the sedan was involved in a collision at the entrance to Strawberry Creek Park, according to police.

When the car stopped, five people ran from the vehicle, police said.

A female suspect was stopped by police at Allston Way and Bonar Street and a second female suspect was stopped at San Pablo Avenue and Allston Way. The suspects are 15 and 16 years old and Oakland residents,
according to police.

They were taken to juvenile hall. Three male suspects are still at large, police said.

Victims of both robberies identified the car used by the suspects and the victim's property was found inside. Police said the car was stolen from Oakland.

In the car, Berkeley police also found property that had been taken in an Oakland robbery.

Anyone who has information about the robberies is encouraged to call the Police Department's robbery unit at (510) 981-5742.

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