Robbers ambush car, kidnap passengers

Police in Berkeley are investigating a Thursday armed robbery and kidnapping that occurred along Grizzly Peak Boulevard.

University of California police officers responded around 2 a.m. to a dirt turn-out along the boulevard after receiving the report of the robbery and kidnapping.

Police said the two victims, a 26-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man, were sitting in their vehicle looking out toward the bay when three men approached them and demanded money.

Police said two of the suspects were armed with handguns, and the third was armed with a baseball bat.

The victims didn’t have any money, so one of the suspects entered their car and demanded to be driven to an ATM while the other suspects followed.

Police said the victims went to the ATM and withdrew money for the suspects, who then fled in their vehicle.

The victims, who are not associated with the University of California, Berkeley, were not injured in the robbery.

The first suspect is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall with a slim build, the second is described as 6 feet 3 inches tall with a medium build, and the third is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall with a slim build and wearing a black beanie-style cap and a red hooded sweatshirt.

The suspects’ vehicle is described as a red four-door “square-type” vehicle.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the University of California Police Department at (510) 642-0472 or (510) 642-6760.

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