April 7-20: El Cerrito Police Calls

The following is a summary of criminal activity in El Cerrito police calls between April 7-20 according to the El Cerrito Police Department.

The following is a summary of criminal activity in El Cerrito. It does not include all crimes. It also does not include non-criminal events such as missing persons, traffic collisions, non-criminal deaths, non-criminal disputes, nor many other police activities that do not result in arrest.

April 7th

Shoplift – 420 El Cerrito Plaza (Petco): At 5:28 PM, an officer reports a suspect had stolen items from the store.
Shoplift – 670 El Cerrito Plaza (CVS): At 5:30 PM, an officer reports the same suspect from above stole merchandise. Officers arrived on scene and detained the suspect while exiting the store. The suspect was arrested and cited. Both reports were forwarded to the District Attorney’s office
Organized Retail Theft – 11565 San Pablo Ave. (Walgreens): At 7:56 PM, an officer reports the security guard witnessed a suspect concealing items in their clothing and asked the suspect to leave. A second suspect intervened and stated they were going to steal. The suspects grabbed merchandise from the shelves and exited the business without paying.
Drunk in Public – 10300 Block of San Pablo Ave. At 12:04 AM, officers were dispatched to the area for a possible intoxicated subject. Upon arrival, officers located the subject who appeared to be intoxicated and unable to care for themself. The subject was placed under arrest and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.

April 8th

Vandalism – 1300 block of Navellier St. At 8:15 AM, the victim reported the windows of his vehicle had been shattered overnight.
Robbery – 11450 San Pablo Ave. (Safeway): At 2:31 PM, the suspect entered the business and stole items. When confronted by security, the suspect punched the security guard and fled the scene prior to police arrival.
Shoplifting – 1000 El Cerrito Plaza (Lucky): At 2:50 PM, the suspect was arrested for stealing items from the business.
Warrant Arrest – 7700 block of Baron Ct.: At 7:38 PM, officers contacted a subject during a pedestrian stop and conducted a records check of the subject. The subject had two outstanding warrants for arrest. The subject was arrested, booked at the El Cerrito Police Department and transported to Martinez Detention Facility.

April 9th

Warrant Arrest – Carlson Blvd / Butte Ave.: At 9:51 AM, officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop and arrested the driver for having an outstanding warrant. The driver was booked at the El Cerrito Police Department and transported to Martinez Detention Facility.
Fraud – 11450 San Pablo Ave. (Safeway): At 10:38 AM, the victim purchased a large sum of gift cards and provided the suspect with the gift cards information.
Petty Theft – 900 block of Norvell St. At 3:53 PM, the victim reported their front license plate was stolen sometime within the past few weeks.
Commercial Burglary – 11280 San Pablo Ave. (Auto Import Sales): At 4:55 AM, two suspects pried open the front doors to the business and ransacked the business. The suspects fled the scene prior to police arrival.

April 10th

Criminal Threats – 11700 block of San Pablo Ave.: At 12:31 AM, the victim stated they received threatening text messages from a significant other.
Grand Theft – 6500 block of Stockton Ave.: At 3:57 PM, the victim reported their bicycle had been stolen sometime within the past three weeks.

April 11th

Loitering on School Property – 540 Ashbury Ave. (El Cerrito High School):: At 10:22 AM, a non-student juvenile was detained for being on campus. The juvenile was later released to a guardian.
Stolen Vehicle – 200 block of Romona Ave.: At 1:31 PM, the victim reported their vehicle stolen.

April 12th

Vandalism – 3400 block of Belmont Ave.: At 3:30 PM, the suspect was arrested after they destroyed property belonging to the landlord. The suspect was booked at the El Cerrito Police Department and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.
Burglary – 3200 Block of Santa Clara Ave.: At 6:21 PM, an officer reports a suspect cut the lock of the victim’s storage cabinet and stole property.
Brandishing a Firearm- 11450 San Pablo Ave. (Safeway): At 8:34 PM, an officer reports the victim and suspect got into a road rage incident. During the altercation, the suspect brandished a firearm at the victim.

April 13th

Lost or Stolen License Plate – 5500 block of Zara Ave.: At 5:15 PM, an officer reports a rear license plate was lost or stolen somewhere between El Cerrito and San Francisco during the late morning or afternoon hours.

April 14th

Recovered Stolen Vehicle – Terrace Dr. / Hancock Way: At 7:05 PM, officers recovered a vehicle that had been reported stolen in San Jose on 04/10/2024. The vehicle was released on scene.
Warrant Arrest / Parole Violation / Failure to Register as a Sex Offender / Drug Paraphernalia – 11785 San Pablo Ave. (Launder-land Laundry): At 9:53 AM, officers responded to a report of a transient subject threatening the owner of the business. During an investigation, officers found the suspect to be in violation of his parole. The suspect also had aa a non-citable warrant and was in possession of a controlled substance. A records check revealed the suspect had failed to register as a convicted sex offender. The suspect was arrested and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.
Shoplifting – 2000 El Cerrito Plaza (Ross): At 7:09 PM, an officer reports the suspect concealed items in a bag and left the business without paying.

April 15th

Vehicle Theft – 3200 block of Carlson Blvd.: At 8:50 AM, the victim reported their vehicle had been stolen.
Petty Theft / Possession of Stolen Property – 6050 El Cerrito Plaza (Barnes and Noble): At 7:01 PM, an officer was dispatched to a theft of a cellphone. The victim tracked their phone via GPS and located it in the area of the 600 block of Talbot Ave in Albany. The officer reviewed security cameras at the business and obtained a description of the suspect. Officers responded to Talbot Ave. and located the suspect. During a search incident to arrest, the victim’s cellphone along with several other phones were located. An officer recalled another report was made similar to this incident two days prior. Upon further investigation, it was determined a second cellphone in the possession of the suspect was taken from the same business two days prior. The suspect was booked at the El Cerrito Police Department and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.

April 16th

Robbery and Warrant Arrest – 11565 San Pablo Ave. (Walgreen’s): At 2:43 PM, a suspect attempted to steal items from the store and threatened a security guard with a folding knife. Officers arrived on scene and arrested the suspect. During the investigation, officers found the suspect to have a warrant for prior theft related charges. The suspect was arrested and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.
Robbery / Warrant Arrest / Criminal Protective Order Violation – 1000 El Cerrito Plaza (Lucky): At 9:12 PM, two suspects stole several items from the business. During the theft, one of the suspects threatened store employees. Officers arrived on scene and arrested the suspects. During the investigation, officers found one of the suspects had several warrants for their arrest. The other suspect had a court order violation. Both suspects were transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.

April 17th

False Bomb Threat – Multiple Schools: At 7:00 AM, several West Contra Costa Schools (including schools in El Cerrito) received an email reporting a bomb being planted on the campus. School staff did not report finding any suspicious devices on their campuses.
Vandalism – 800 block of Norvell St.: At 5:00 PM, a suspect shattered the front window of the victim’s residence with a rock. The suspect fled on foot prior to police arrival.
Vandalism – Willow St. / Elm St.: At 8:28 PM, a suspect shattered the window of the victim’s vehicle. The suspect fled prior to police arrival.

April 18th

Possession of Concealed Knife – San Pablo Ave. / Waldo Ave.
At 2:45 PM, a suspect was arrested for being in possession of a concealed knife. The suspect was booked at the El Cerrito Police Department and released on a citation.
Vandalism – 11861 San Pablo Ave. (Starbucks):
At 1:01 AM, the suspect shattered the window of the business.

April 19th

Vandalism – 1400 block of S. 56th St.
At 9:52 AM, an officer reports a suspect cut an AT&T telephone line in an apparent unsuccessful attempt to steal copper. The incident occurred sometime overnight.
Battery – 2000 block of Harper St.
At 11:26 AM, an officer reports the victims / suspects were involved in a mutual combat fight after a disagreement over property.
Petty Theft – 400 block of Everett St.
At 1:26 PM, an officer reports a theft of a package from their porch.
Shoplift – 6000 El Cerrito Plaza (Marshalls):
At 7:43 PM, an officer reports loss prevention agents detained a suspect for shoplifting. Officers arrived on scene and took the suspect into custody. The suspect was booked at the El Cerrito Police Department and released on a citation.
Shoplift / Warrant – 6000 El Cerrito Plaza (Marshalls):
While on scene for the above incident, the officer was advised of another theft in progress. The officer assisted loss prevention agents in detaining the suspect. The suspect was arrested and booked at the El Cerrito Police Department. During the booking process, officers discovered the suspect had an outstanding warrant for their arrest. The suspect was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.
Possession of a Glass Pipe – Liberty St. / Portola Dr.
At 3:12 AM, officers conducted a suspicious vehicle check and discovered the driver was on probation with a search clause. During the search, officers located a glass pipe used for smoking methamphetamine. The driver was arrested and cited.

April 20th

Misuse of Pepper Spray – 11900 San Pablo Ave.: At 8:18 hours, an officer reports a suspect pepper sprayed another person after an argument over a parking space.
Robbery – 11555 San Pablo Ave. (DD’s Discount): At 6:11 PM, an officer reports the suspect concealed merchandise in their bag and threatened to shoot employees when confronted. The suspect then fled the store, prior to police arrival.

Previous Calls For Service