Three robbery spree suspects in custody after high-speed pursuit

Three suspects in a series of robberies Thursday evening were arrested despite eluding officers during high-speed pursuits, Berkeley police said.

Five robberies were reported in areas around the city between 5:55 and 9:30 p.m., with some witnesses describing two to three suspects who fled in a dark colored Dodge Challenger with its license plate covered up.

At about 9:40 p.m., an officer attempted to stop a car matching that description in the area of San Pablo Avenue and 67th Street, then pursued it as the driver sped off and turned eastbound onto Ashby Avenue. Police lost sight of the Challenger around Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

A second officer saw the vehicle going westbound on Alcatraz Avenue near King Street but it sped off from the second pursuit.

The Challenger was seen yet again downtown, going northbound on Shattuck Avenue. It turned westbound onto Durant Street but stopped due to a flat tire, where the three occupants surrendered.

Two 19-year-old Richmond men and a 17-year-old juvenile from San Pablo were arrested on suspicion of several counts of robbery, possession of stolen property, conspiracy and evading a police officer with willful disregard, police said.