BERKELEY — A pair of attacks in the downtown area last week injured a 14-year-old boy and a downtown Berkeley ambassador and appear to have been committed by Berkeley High students, police said.
The police investigation came after officers responded to more than one incident involving groups of students on Oct. 16.
In a statement, Berkeley police said the incidents involved more than 100 students who “engaged in disruptive behavior and dispersed before officers arrived, only to regroup elsehwere.”
“Our detectives are actively investigating the crimes that day,” police wrote in their statement. “We are also meeting with BHS staff to strengthen planning and coordination for futher school-related events. We are working collaboratively with BHS to follow up on reported incidents and make referrals to Juvenile Probation when appropriate.”
The first attack happened about 12:30 p.m. and injured the teen boy. Police said he was standing in the 2100 block of Shattuck Avenue when one of the suspects hit the boy repeatedly with a toy nerf gun. Police said the suspect eventually began punching the 14-year-old after the teen fell to the ground and that several onlookers joined the attack, throwing eggs, soda cans and toy nerf gun pellets at him.
Police said the teen suffered a concussion in the attack. They did not say whether he was hospitalized.
At 4 p.m., a juvenile got close to a downtown ambassador as the ambassador was cleaning eggshell residue off the sidewalk, police said. Downtown ambassadors in Berkeley are staff members sent by the Downtown Berkeley Association to clean and patrol the commercial district of the city.
According to police, the ambassador told the juveniles to stop shooting the nerf gun projectiles, but another teen took a toy gun and started shooting the projectiles at the ambassador’s face. Police said the ambassador tried to defend herself but eventually was forced to the ground, punched in the face by that juvenile and kicked more than once in the face by another.
The woman suffered bruises on her head, face and neck, police said.
Police said the suspect in the first attack was a boy about 16-17 years old, wore a black ski mask, a white shirt and tan pants. The suspect in the second attack was a girl about the same age with a heavy build who work a black top and black shorts while carrying a black bag.
“We encourage anyone who was victimized, witnessed criminal activity or has video footage of these incidents to contact the Berkeley Police Department, so we can investigate and take action,” police wrote. “Our commitment is to maintain a safe and welcoming downtown for our businesses, residents, students, and visitors. We will continue working with our school and community partners to address these incidents and reduce the likelihood of similar disruptions in the future.”