A troubling incident occurred involving a UC Berkeley student and a homeless man chasing her into her apartment complex. The event, captured on surveillance video, shows intense moments as the man scaled a locked gate to follow the student.
On September 15, security footage outside a Berkeley, California apartment captured the unsettling scene. The student hurriedly entered the secure building around 8 p.m. Moments later, a man climbed the locked gate, allegedly chasing her with an object initially thought to be a knife.
The Berkeley Police Department later clarified the object was likely a barbecue lighter and no direct contact occurred between the two individuals. The student, known only as Eden for safety reasons, recounted the encounter to ABC7. She was walking her dog when the man gestured strangely, approached, and then pursued her.
She managed to enter the complex and take an elevator, avoiding detection. “I shut the gate behind me, heard him and saw him climbing the gate,” she shared with ABC7.
The police received her call at around 8:04 p.m. but faced delays due to other high-priority emergencies, including a domestic violence case. Officers arrived about an hour after the incident but did not find the man.
The following night, police received a call at about 9:24 p.m., reporting the same man lying on a sidewalk near Berkeley Way and Walnut Street. Officers identified and detained him but did not arrest him. Under California law, warrantless arrests for misdemeanors not witnessed by officers are generally not permitted, which applied to this case as the offense occurred a day before.
Berkeley police submitted the case to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for review. Prosecutors are tasked with deciding if criminal charges will be pressed. As of Monday, no charges have been filed.
Eden expressed surprise that the man could pursue her into a secure building and remain free after identification. She urged stronger laws and better protections for residents.
UC Berkeley and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately provide comments on the situation.
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