Armed Robbery and a Car Crash Plagued Berkeley Cafes This Weekend

Berkeley restaurants had a rough weekend, starting with a car crash at Dream Fluff Donuts, and ending with an armed robbery at the cafe across the street. The two incidents were part of an overall crime-ridden few days in the city, which also experienced a rash of car break-ins and strong arm robberies in the same time period.

The first incident occurred on Friday afternoon at Dream Fluff Donuts, a popular breakfast spot in the Berkeley neighborhood of Elmwood, when a suspected car burglar refused to stop for UC Berkeley police. The man ran a red light at College and Ashby, then smashed into at least four cars, according to Berkeleyside. The suspect then ditched the car, which continued on to hit Dream Fluff Donuts. The suspect was caught and taken into custody by a UCPD sergeant; luckily no humans (or doughnuts) were inured. No word on whether police morale was affected by this brazen disregard for doughnut safety.

On Saturday, Espresso Roma was the scene of another crime, as three armed robbers stormed the popular cafe. The weekends are primetime for students, who spend hours drinking coffee and studying with expensive laptops at the coffee shop on the corner of Ashby and College, which apparently hasn’t gone unnoticed by would-be criminals.

Around 9 p.m. on Sunday night, three males entered the cafe and began to grab laptops and other items, Berkeleyside reports. Customers weren’t having it though, as they fought back to retrieve their items— until one of the robbers wielded a gun. At that point, according to a witness account to Berkeleyside, “everyone backed off.” No one was injured, though the three robbers were able to take off with at least one laptop.

• Dramatic Crash in the Elmwood When man Refuses to Stop for Police [Berkeleyside]
• Patrons Fight Back During Armed Robbery [Berkeleyside]
• 7 of the Best Doughnuts in the East Bay [ESF]