According to a report in the Berekely Scanner, thieves in Berekely not only stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods from an Apple Store in Berkely, but told the security guard in the store, “you can’t stop us.”
In that disturbing, if not particularly shocking given the state’s soft on crime policies, report, the Berkeley Scanner reported:
Four young men stole more than $50,000 in goods from the Berkeley Apple store on Sunday after telling a security guard, “You can’t stop us,” authorities report.
The group was able to scoop up the merchandise within just a few minutes, then fled the scene in a Toyota Sienna minivan that had been taken during a recent carjacking in Oakland, the Berkeley Police Department said.
Police spotted the Toyota Sienna nearby and chased it — but lost it on the freeway.
Authorities later found the minivan abandoned in Oakland with many of the stolen items still inside.
Unfortunately for resident, crime in Berkeley, once one of the glittering cities of California and one of the most desirable cities in the world, is one the rise. Such is what Berkeleyside reported in March of 2023, saying:
Crime rates in Berkeley increased in nearly all areas from 2021 to 2022 but, in several areas, remain below pre-pandemic highs, according to the Berkeley Police Department, which presented its annual report this week.
The total number of violent and property crimes in 2022 was “the highest in the past 10 years,” Interim Police Chief Jen Louis told the City Council Tuesday in a special meeting. “Berkeley continues to have one of the highest property crime rates in our region.”
With the exceptions of arson and auto theft, which had spiked during the pandemic, each “Part 1” crime — the more serious crimes the FBI has selected for law enforcement agencies to count in their annual unified crime reports — increased in 2022 from the previous year.
Violent crimes, which include homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults, increased by 25.2%. Total property crimes, including burglaries, larcenies, auto thefts and arson, jumped 14.5%, despite the dips in auto theft and arson.
Four young men stole more than $50,000 in goods from the Berkeley Apple store on Sunday after telling a security guard, "You can’t stop us," authorities report.https://t.co/njDfMGgkJV
— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) May 29, 2023
Commenting on the post the Berekely Scanner made about the pilfering of the Apple Store, people said things like:
“If the cops catch them maybe our district attorney Pamela Price will give them after school detention in the spirit of non-carceral punishment and “stop criminalizing our youth” and all her other feel good campaign slogans.”
“But we can stop them. We just need the will. We can repeal Prop 37. We can arrest them & when convicted, jail them for the maximum sentence. Eventually, we would return to the high trust society we had previously. Why are we allowing criminals to have the upper hand in 2023?”
“When people get the idea that no one will stop them this is what happens. There is no risk for the criminals. No likelihood of being caught, even if caught no real punishment. If security guards and employees routinely captured such thieves they’d be fearful rather than brazen.”
“Berkeley got exactly what it voted for Congrats 👏”
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