A man and woman were robbed at gunpoint and temporarily kidnapped early Thanksgiving morning near the UC Berkeley campus.
The two victims, a 23-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, are both unaffiliated with the campus and were not injured during the encounter, according to a UCPD crime alert. As of 11 a.m. on Thursday, no suspects were in custody.
At approximately 2 a.m. on Thursday, three men — two armed with handguns and one holding a baseball bat — approached the two victims, who were sitting in their vehicle looking out toward the bay at a dirt turn-out along Grizzly Peak Boulevard.
The road is situated east of the campus and wraps around the Berkeley Hills. Police did not immediately indicate where along the boulevard the incident occurred.
When the suspects demanded their money and the man and woman said they had none, one of the suspects entered their vehicle and ordered they drive to an ATM. As they drove, the other two suspects trailed their car in the suspect vehicle.
At the ATM, the man and woman turned over their cash, and the suspects departed the area, leaving the man and woman unharmed.
UCPD is investigating the case as an armed robbery and kidnapping. Police requested that those with information pertaining to the crime contact the criminal investigation bureau at 510-642-0472 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 510-642-6760 at all other times.
According to the crime alert, the suspects are described as:
Suspect No. 1 — A white male, approximately 5-foot-5 in height, with a slim build and armed with a firearm or baseball bat.
Suspect No. 2 — A white male, approximately 6-foot-3 in height, with a medium build and armed with a firearm or baseball bat.
Suspect No. 3 — A white male, approximately 5-foot-5 in height, with a slim build, wearing a black beanie-style cap and red hooded sweatshirt and armed with a firearm or baseball bat.
The suspect vehicle is described as a red, four-door, square-type vehicle.
Kimberly Veklerov is a news editor. Contact her at kveklerov@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @KVeklerov.