Berkeley Police: Man Claiming To Be Officer Accosted Teen Girl, Demanded Hug
BERKELEY (CBS SF) – Police in Berkeley are searching for a man who allegedly claimed to be an officer while accosting a teenage girl in the city's north side late last month.
According to officers, the teen was walking along the 1300 block of Gilman Street around 6:20 p.m. on September 29 when the man approached her. Police said he told her that he was a police officer and that he had a gun.
The suspect then "demanded a hug" from the teen, police said in a statement. She refused and then kept walking.
Police said the suspect then told her again he was a police officer and had a gun and told her to listen to him, before stepping in front of her path. She ran and called police from a safe location.
The suspect is described as a male in his 30s, standing about 5'8" to 6' tall with an athletic build and short hair.
He was seen wearing a black baseball cap and a dark short sleeve shirt, possibly a gray polo shirt with a light logo on the left side. Police said the suspect was also wearing cargo pants and an American flag neck gaiter.
Surveillance video of the suspect has been released. Police are seeking additional videos from the time of the incident, particularly among residents along Gilman, Hopkins and Acton streets.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact the Berkeley Police Department's sex crimes unit at 510-981-5735.