Handbags were stolen from cars at two gas stations in Berkeley

crime

In each incident, the perpetrator opened a woman’s car door and grabbed her purse, police said.

Berkeley police are investigating separate reports Sunday of handbags being stolen in broad daylight from motorists who stopped at local gas stations.

Both incidents occurred about 20 minutes apart in busy areas on Sunday afternoon, Berkeley police said.

The first incident occurred around 1:40 p.m. at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Hearst Way.

A woman was stopped at the gas station when a stranger opened her car door and grabbed her purse, police said. He drove away in a dark sedan.

About twenty minutes later, a thief opened a woman’s car door at Chevron, 2996 Telegraph Ave. (at Ashby Avenue), and stole her purse.

Both cases are still being investigated and police are trying to determine whether there is a connection.