Two teens wielding a semiautomatic pistol exit a maroon Dodge Caravan on Euclid Avenue and tell a UC Berkeley student they’ll kill her if she doesn’t give them the digital camera with which she’s just been photographing flowers. They also steal her wallet, phone, MP3 player, and passport, then speed off in the van. She screams. A homeowner calls 911. According to the Berkeley Police Department report of this March 6 incident, the student describes her African-American assailants to officers, detailing collar-length braids or dreads. Meanwhile, a 911 call from a woman a few blocks away describes two similar-looking teens leaping from a maroon van and fleeing up Berryman Path. Cops rush to the abandoned van, which was stolen in Oakland and contains the victim’s camera case. Finding no gun, they conclude the youths are still armed. It’s just after 3 p.m. in an area with few pedestrians. Spotting a bus that a young man matching the description has just boarded, the cops stop the vehicle. “Two sergeants entered the bus with guns drawn – but down, not pointing at anybody – preparing for a suspect that might be armed,” Sergeant Mary Kusmiss told Apprehension. Questioned off the bus, the passenger revealed himself as Cragmont School basketball coach DeAndre Swygert, who was escorting kids to a game. Realizing their error, Kusmiss said, the cops released Swygert and went on their way.
FOLLOW US
