Police are investigating a bank robbery that happened Monday morning at Mechanics Bank in downtown Berkeley, authorities report.
A man in his 50s, described as Black and over 6 feet tall, went into Mechanics Bank at 2301 Shattuck Ave. (at Bancroft Way) at 9:15 a.m. and demanded money, said Lt. Dan Montgomery of the Berkeley Police Department.
The man left with the cash and was last seen fleeing the area on foot, Montgomery said.
Bank robberies are rare in Berkeley. In 2018, the most recent full-year data immediately available, Berkeley had three bank robberies.
In 2020, there hasn’t been a bank robbery in the city since January, when there were three. BPD ultimately arrested an Oakland man in connection with those incidents, and said they were part of a larger series around the Bay Area. (The Oakland man was charged with robbery and remains in custody, according to court records online.)
Berkeleyside will update this story if additional information becomes available.
BPD asks anyone with tips about this incident to alert the department’s Robbery Detail at 510-981-5742.