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Berkeley Prowler Impales Leg Before Escaping From Police

BERKELEY (CBS SF) - Berkeley police were asking for the public's help to nab a prowler who was injured while fleeing from officers on Wednesday.

A woman who lives on the 2200 block of Dwight Way reported seeing a man outside her second-story window shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

Responding officers found a man matching the suspect's description nearby. The suspect ran away and the officers chased him, police said.

During the chase, the man scaled a metal fence and got stuck when his leg was impaled on the gate. Officers called for an ambulance and tried to coax him down but the man freed himself and escaped, police said.

Police believe the man climbed a gate to the extended, flat roof of the building's first floor in order to reach the victim's window. It was not clear what the suspect's intentions were, police said.

The suspect was described as a black man between 19 and 22 years old who had short hair and spotted facial hair. He is 6 feet tall and weighs between 185 and 195 pounds. He has an athletic build and was wearing dark colored boxer shorts and a hooded shirt with the arms cut off and the sides open.

The suspect suffered injuries to his left leg, thigh, and rib cage and a laceration near his right eye, police said.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to call police at (510) 981-5735 or (510) 981-5900.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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