Customers Chase After Would-Be Laptop Thief From Business Near UC Berkeley

BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- A man tried to run out of a Berkeley business with a laptop being used by a customer there on Monday morning but dropped it when other patrons chased him outside, University of California at Berkeley police said.

The woman was working on her laptop near the corner of Dwight Way and Telegraph Avenue at 10:48 a.m. Monday, police said.

The man shoved her from behind, grabbed the laptop and ran from the store. The victim and other customers chased him from the store and tried to stop him.

He dropped the laptop and ran to Dwight Way, then jumped into a waiting U-Haul truck, police said.

Officers looked for the suspect and vehicle but could not find them.

The suspect was described as a black man between 25 and 30 years old, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds with a solid build. He was wearing a white shirt and dark pants, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to call Berkeley police at (510) 981-5900.

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