Police Probe Overnight Berkeley Shop Burglaries
Five restaurants and a skincare shop in Berkeley were burglarized in the early hours of Sunday, November 1, and investigators are checking whether the incidents are connected.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Property Crime
Burglars smashed windows and stole cash drawers from five Berkeley restaurants and a skincare shop overnight. Authorities are investigating whether the early Sunday burglaries are related, and several Albany businesses were reportedly also hit.
Why it matters
A cluster of similar break-ins across multiple Berkeley neighborhoods raises concern for small business owners who rely on storefront security. Investigators are working to determine whether a single group is responsible.
Six Berkeley businesses, five restaurants and one skincare shop, were burglarized early Sunday, with the Hashtag Poki break-in reported at 3 AM. Authorities are still investigating whether the incidents are connected, and no suspects or arrests were reported in the extraction.
The players
Berkeley Police Department
The Berkeley Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the city of Berkeley, California.
The details
Burglars smashed windows to enter Oceanview Diner, Kiehl's, iScream, Casa Latina, Kingpin Donuts and Hashtag Poki, then stole cash drawers that typically contain little cash. Three incidents occurred on Fourth Street, two in the Southside neighborhood, and one on San Pablo Avenue.
Timeline
Early Sunday morning, November 1, 2026: burglaries at five Berkeley restaurants and a skincare shop.
3 AM, Sunday, November 1, 2026: Hashtag Poki burglarized on Telegraph Avenue.
Legal Context
Commercial burglaries that involve smashed storefront windows and theft of cash drawers are typically prosecuted as property crimes under California law. The extraction does not provide prior-year Berkeley burglary statistics, so whether this cluster reflects a broader trend cannot be confirmed.
Berkeley business owners, particularly those on Fourth Street, San Pablo Avenue, Durant Avenue and Telegraph Avenue, may want to review their storefront security and window protection. Residents in the Southside neighborhood should watch for any additional reports as investigators work to determine whether the incidents are connected.
The takeaway
Business owners who have experienced a break-in should report it promptly to the Berkeley Police Department so that any emerging pattern across incidents can be identified. Keeping cash drawers emptied overnight can limit losses in similar incidents.
Further reading
For more local context, browse recent Property Crime reporting from across the Berkeley area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Berkeley Scanner.
