Another robbery near UC Berkeley spikes community concerns

A strong-armed robbery took place early Friday about 12:10 a.m. on Bancroft Way near the UC Berkeley campus. A woman was robbed of her purse and cell phone by two men and one woman, police said. A strong-armed robbery took place early Friday about 12:10 a.m. on Bancroft Way near the UC Berkeley campus. A woman was robbed of her purse and cell phone by two men and one woman, police said. Photo: Bob Chamberlin, TNS Photo: Bob Chamberlin, TNS Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Another robbery near UC Berkeley spikes community concerns 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The robbery of a woman walking near UC Berkeley early Friday may be linked to six other street muggings that have occurred around the campus in the last two weeks, officials said Monday.

The victim was robbed of her purse and cell phone about 12:10 a.m. on the 2300 block of Bancroft Way, less than half a mile from the university campus, police said.

A man approached the victim while she was walking and attempted to take her purse in a strong-arm robbery.

The victim kicked, punched and screamed at the suspect until he fled with her belongings in a sedan, said Sgt. Andrew Frankel of the Berkeley Police Department.

Police said the victim, who was not injured, is affiliated with UC Berkeley, but it was not immediately known if she is a student.

The suspects were not armed and are still on the loose, Frankel said.

Police are trying to determining if there is a possible link between the mugging and and a recent string of others, though the suspect descriptions are different than in the previous cases, he added.

The incident comes after at least six robberies pulled by gun-toting bandits, some working in teams, have taken place near the university campus since Oct. 8.

The Berkeley and UC Berkeley police departments are working together to investigate the uptick in robberies, said Sgt. Sabrina Reich of the UC Berkeley Police Department.

“Moving into the holiday season, we see an increase of robberies of laptops and cell phones,” Reich said. “It seems like that is a popular robbery target throughout the Bay Area.”

The first incident, on Oct. 8, took place about 11:30 p.m. at a bus stop outside Cory Hall on Hearst Avenue. A victim was working on his laptop when someone sat next to him, brandished a gun and demanded the victim’s belongings. The victim complied and the suspect fled in a car.

The next day, a victim was walking on the 2300 block of Le Conte Avenue about 10:30 p.m., when someone appeared and demanded his belongings at gunpoint. The victim handed over his backpack and the suspect left.

Just 15 minutes after the second incident, another robbery was reported on LeRoy Avenue near Le Conte Avenue. An assailant demanded the victim’s backpack while holding a pistol in his hand. The victim obeyed and the suspect ran off.

The next three incidents on Oct. 12 were similar to the others.

One victim was walking eastbound on Ridge Road about 1 a.m. when a robber approached, pulled out a gun and demanded the victim’s backpack.

Later that day, a mugger, armed with a gun, stole someone’s backpack at about 7:35 p.m. on the 1900 block of Virginia Street. That same evening, three women, UC Berkeley students, were confronted by two masked men about 8:10 p.m. west of Haviland Hall. The men, armed with handguns, were unsuccessful with their robbery attempt, police said.

No injuries were reported in any of these incidents, but Reich emphasized that students need to be aware of their surroundings when walking at night.

“We advise students to take well-lit and well-traveled paths, not to take shortcuts that aren’t as well traveled,” Reich said, adding that the university police are teaming with the Berkeley Police Department to patrol the campus area.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani