Berkeley hit-and-run driver injures multiple pedestrians; suspect arrested

A hit-and-run driver in Berkeley injured multiple pedestrians on Tuesday in different locations, allegedly driving onto a sidewalk and later attempting to carjack another person before eventually being arrested, authorities said.

The Berkeley Police Department said dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting pedestrians hit on Belrose Avenue between Claremont Boulevard and Derby Street just south of the UC Berkeley campus. Callers reported that the vehicle drove onto the sidewalk and hit two people, police said.

While officers were responding, dispatchers updated that the suspect had fled west on Derby Street, and the suspect vehicle, a gray BMW sedan, was found abandoned in the area of Garber Street and Piedmont Avenue next to Emerson Elementary School. Police said the suspect attempted to carjack another vehicle at that location before running away. The unidentified suspect was quickly located and arrested two blocks west on College Avenue.

Officers found a third victim on Derby Street, who, along with the two other pedestrians, was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. All the victims are adults, and their conditions were not disclosed. Police said there were five separate crime scenes under investigation. 

A spokesperson for Berkeley Public Schools said there was no impact to operations at Emerson Elementary as the suspect car was abandoned outside the school before the start of the school day.

Police said officers were still in the field interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence, and additional information would be released as it becomes available.

Anyone with information or video footage was asked to contact the Berkeley Police Department.