Terrified UC Berkeley student was chased by man who climbed her apartment fence, but the cops just let him go
A student at UC Berkeley who says she was pursued by a man who scaled the fence into her apartment complex has claimed that California police simply let the man go free while prosecutors decide whether or not they should charge him.
Surveillance footage captured the frightening incident that took place on September 15 outside of the apartment complex in Berkeley, California. In the video, the woman is seen entering the apartment complex around 8 p.m. Shortly after, a man climbs over the fence and follows the student inside. In his hand, he appears to be holding an object that was initially reported to be a knife.
The object was later determined to be a barbecue lighter by Berkeley police. They also said that there was no contact between the man and the student. The student, who was identified only as “Eden” for her own protection, told ABC7 that she ran from the intruder after hearing him climb over the fence.
“I shut the gate behind me, heard him and saw him climbing the gate. Ran into the elevator before he was down from the gate so he didn’t see which way I went.”
Eden claimed that her encounter with the man began prior to entering the building. She had been walking her dog when she saw the suspect approaching her and making weird gestures. Although she walked away, she turned around to see the man allegedly running towards her.
Berkeley police let the man go
Eden said she called the police, but they did not arrive for an hour, as they had been dealing with what the police described as “high priority incidents.” Upon arriving at the apartment, officers were unable to locate the suspect.
The following day, Eden claimed she found the man sleeping near her building. “I was walking outside and happened upon the man in the same place that he always is, outside of my building,” she told ABC7. She called the police again, and the suspect was apprehended; however, Eden says she then watched police let the man go soon after.
Eden’s fears regarding the man were seemingly dismissed, similar to a woman in New York who was recently chased by a man who security deemed harmless.
“About two minutes into the conversation, they took the handcuffs off, and came back to me and said, ‘ We can’t do anything,’” she said. Berkeley police explained in a statement that they could not make a “warrantless arrest based solely on that misdemeanor,” unless it occurred in their presence.
Eden has since said she hopes her experience will bring about more consequences for trespassers like the man she encountered. So far, the man has not been arrested for the alleged misdemeanour, but the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it was reviewing the case. The man was later arrested on September 19 for an unrelated charge.
(Featured image: Berkeley Police Department)
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